Vancouver mayor says city carrying imbalanced burden of supportive housing

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim’s announcement Thursday that he plans to halt any construction of “net new” supportive housing in Vancouver has set off dismay and cheering throughout British Columbia.At a Vancouver conference organized by groups of residents, businesses and organizations concerned about deteriorating public disorder, Mr. Sim said this week Vancouver is already carrying too much of the load of supportive housing, with 77 per cent of all that type in the region even though the city only represents 25 per cent of total population.“This imbalance is unsustainable, especially when much of our existing supportive housing, including our extensive [single-room occupancy] stock, is aging and deteriorating,” he said.