In BC, one in 10 renters have faced eviction — twice the national average. A 2023 UBC research study found that 85 per cent of evictions in BC are “no-fault,” meaning they happen for reasons other than a tenant’s behaviour.
While BC doesn’t have data on how many of these evictions are bad-faith, Andrew Sakamoto, the executive director of the Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre (TRAC), observes that evictions are one of the most pressing issues that they see in their practice. “Tenants are commonly evicted for [a landlord’s] personal use despite landlords having no intention of following through. In general, eviction is the number one issue we hear about,” he says.
Photo by Sarah Race
TRAC is the only legal nonprofit in BC solely focused on residential tenancy law and tenants’ rights. At the clinic, renters can access free support ranging from legal information to legal representation in court. It is one of 11 legal clinics that the Law Foundation of BC funds in partnership with the Ministry of Attorney General.
TRAC has experienced steady growth since its founding in 1984. With affordable housing becoming increasingly out of reach, demand for TRAC’s services has grown significantly. In response, TRAC has moved from a cramped, hard-to-find office into a larger, more accessible space in the heart of downtown Vancouver provided by the City of Vancouver. The Foundation funded staffing and improvements to make the new space client-ready. This new location makes it easier for people to drop in and access services, marking a substantial enhancement in its suite of services for renters.
“The goal was to create a welcoming, inclusive, and accessible space,” says Sakamoto.
Now, any renter can visit to speak with a housing navigator, access multilingual publications, attend workshops, or use a public computer to learn about their legal rights and options.
Strategically located across from the Law Courts in downtown Vancouver, the new space allows TRAC’s lawyers to quickly help people facing orders of possession. A TRAC lawyer can now walk clients over to the court registry to apply for stays of proceedings, buying critical time to appeal an unfair ruling or secure alternative housing.
The Foundation’s recent commitment of multi-year funding has also enabled TRAC to expand its mandate to include legal advice and representation for judicial reviews.
“Genuinely, the Law Foundation of BC has been an incredible support over the years. They’ve listened to our concerns and empowered us to decide how best to move forward. We are grateful that they view us as the experts on how to improve access to justice for BC tenants,” says Sakamoto.
Looking ahead
With more than 1.5 million renters in BC facing rising housing costs and a challenging legal landscape, tenant advocacy has never been more important. TRAC says that its aim is to ensure more renters understand their rights, and to advocate for a fairer rental law system.
While TRAC has grown, the demand for legal help always outstrips TRAC’s capacity. As Sakamoto points out, “We could triple in size and still not meet demand for tenant advocacy.”
In addition to TRAC, the Foundation also funds many legal advocacy programs in communities across BC to help meet clients with a wide variety of legal problems, including the province-wide demand for tenant legal services.
