Port Coquitlam denies $35k tax break for The Alex over safety concerns

An affordable rental project that provides housing for marginalized women and families will not get a $34,658 tax exemption from Port Coquitlam, city council decided Tuesday.

The Alex on Prairie Avenue – operated by Atira Women’s Resource Society – was the subject of some “very serious concerns” regarding safety in the building, Mayor Brad West said in the meeting.

“I’m not at all satisfied with the status quo and with the operator’s apparent lack of attention and seriousness to this issue,” West said.

West also emphasized the vulnerability of the tenants.

“If the city is able to lend its voice to those residents of our community and get those concerns taken seriously . . . then I think we have an obligation to do that,” West said.

The majority of residents are from the Tri-Cities but not specifically from Port Coquitlam, according to a city staff report.

However, there is a deeper story, according to Coun. Glenn Pollock.

“I talked to Sarah McIntosh from Atira and she assured me that every person in there had a connection to PoCo.”

Pollock said he helped place two women from northern B.C. in the Alex, both of whom were reunited with children who live in Port Coquitlam.

Two weeks after expressing concerns over how The Alex is run, Coun. Steve Darling said he’d had no communication with Atira, which he called “disgraceful.”

“I haven’t heard from anybody. All I’ve heard from is our residents saying what a disaster this place is,” he said.

There has been a leadership vacuum at Atira following the departure of Janice Abbott, Pollock said.

While there are concerns about The Alex, Pollock said it didn’t deserve to be compared with the shelter at 3030 Gordon Avenue.

“I’ve talked to other people that I’ve placed in the building who say it’s fine,” Pollock said. “It’s not a nightmare.”

Given that Atira is classified as a registered charity by the Canada Revenue Agency, The Alex qualifies for a permissive tax exemption, according to a city staff report.

Following council’s decision to deny Atira the tax exemption, Atira pledged to meet with Port Coquitlam city staff next week.

“BC Housing and Atira will continue to work with City Staff to address any concerns by City Council to ensure that the residents of the Alex can continue to access affordable rental housing in their community,” an Atira representative wrote in an email to the Dispatch.

The message also noted the “serious lack of affordable housing for women and their children in the Tri-Cities.”

In an email to the Dispatch earlier this month, Atira emphasized the importance of the exemption.

“We rely on vital partners like the City of Port Coquitlam to provide the services and housing that the women and children we serve need and deserve,” the statement read.