It is with reluctance that I write about anything that is not happy, beautiful, or inspiring. We are, however, about to see some changes to our beautiful Chinatown neighbourhood, and that is making me sad. The extent of these changes I do not know, but for me the word “gentrification” means the end of affordable rental accommodation in a city where anything under $1000 per month is almost impossible to find. So many artists, students, and local small businesses call this neighbourhood home. These renovations are to a set of buildings which back-to-back face Fisgard Street and Pandora Avenue. They are beside a brand new condo building which was just completed in a space that was a parking lot. A building on the west side of historic Fan Tan Alley was just recently gutted. The facades were kept intact, but a taller addition was added inside the original walls. This one seems to be advertising rental units, but the cost?
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