Decision on proposal to demolish Kitchener’s Rainbow Row delayed until January
A group of Kitchener residents held a rally Monday in the hopes of saving their homes, but they’ll have to wait a bit longer to find out council’s decision.
A proposal has been put forward to demolish low-income housing on Benton Street and Saint George Road to make way for a new high-rise condo.
According to the Waterloo Region Acorn Tenant Union, who organized the march ahead of a council committee meeting, residents only learned about the plan in August when a billboard was put in front of their properties.
People living in the townhouses, also known as Rainbow Row due to their brightly coloured facades, are worried they won’t find another affordable place to live if the condo project is approved.
“It wouldn’t be an issue, you know, if it was 2015 and the market was what it was then,” said tenant Shaun McKinnon.
“I was coming from a terrible situation, an apartment infested with both bedbugs and roaches to the brim, and this was the only place that I could find. It’s so much better. If I lose this, I have nowhere else,” tenant Marieal Gaines said.
Residents asked the city to reject the proposal to rezone and redevelop 93-99 Benton St. and 39-43 Saint George St.
“There is strong opposition to this,” said Acer Bonaparte, the chair of Waterloo Region ACORN. “We understand we need to build more housing, but the way to do that isn’t to kick vulnerable people out of their homes and potentially make them homeless.”
After hearing from delegates at Monday night’s Planning and Strategic Initiatives Committee, councillors voted to defer the decision on the matter to Jan. 22 in order to organize a meeting between the developers and current tenants.
Harjit Dhaliwal of Ideal Capital said developers are legally required to cover three months rent if tenants are forced out, but they have offered to pay for an additional fourth month.
"Sometimes we feel that developers are from somewhere else, they're rich people," Dhaliwal told the meeting. "We are trying to create an asset for the city with average people's money. This is actually our first project in this city and we’re are so happy to be investing money."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6979415.1722030986!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Paris Olympics kicks off with ambitious but rainy opening ceremony on the Seine River
Celebrating its reputation as a cradle of revolution, Paris kicked off its first Summer Olympics in a century on Friday with a rain-soaked, rule-breaking opening ceremony studded with stars and fantasy along the Seine River.
BREAKING Celine Dion stages comeback with performance at Paris Olympics opening ceremony
Celine Dion staged the comeback of her career during the opening ceremony at the Olympic Games in Paris.
Jasper wildfire: 'Several weeks' before Jasper can return, premier says
Premier Danielle Smith said Friday afternoon in Hinton while weather conditions are cooler, the Jasper fire is still considered out of control and that Jasper residents can expect to be away from their homes "for several weeks."
'He was just gone': Police ramp up search for vulnerable 3-year-old boy in Mississauga, Ont.
Police in Mississauga are conducting a full-scale search of the city’s biggest park for a non-verbal toddler who went missing Thursday evening. Sgt. Jennifer Trimble told reporters Friday morning that there has been no trace of three-year-old Zaid Abdullah since 6:20 p.m., when he was last seen with his parents in Erindale Park, near Dundas Street West and Mississauga Road.
Driver charged after flashing high beams at approaching police
Orillia OPP arrested and charged a driver with impaired driving after flashing their high beams.
Winnipeg senior's account overdrawn $146,000 for water bill
A Winnipeg senior is getting soaked with a six figure water bill.
Irish museum pulls Sinead O'Connor waxwork after just one day due to backlash
An Irish museum will withdraw a waxwork of singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor just one day after installing it, following a backlash from her family and the public, it told CNN in a statement on Friday.
Canada's Christine Sinclair: 'We were never shown drone footage'
Canada soccer great Christine Sinclair said on Friday national team players were never shown drone footage during the more than two decades she was on the team, following a spying scandal that cast a shadow over the Canadians at the Paris Games.
At least 4 buildings burned at Jasper Park Lodge, others damaged: Fairmont memo
The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge said Thursday afternoon most of its structures are 'standing and intact,' including its iconic main lodge.