B.C. court strikes down law aimed at pushing through controversial Vancouver social-housing project

A group of residents in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood has won a court battle against a proposed social-housing project after the B.C. Court of Appeal ruled that the provincial government had violated their rights by trying to force it through with legislation.The appeal court ruling won’t halt construction of the 129-unit supportive-housing building intended for residents with mental-health issues, including drug addictions. But it does strike down the hastily crafted provincial law aimed at prohibiting a court challenge of the city’s approval for the development.The residents, who have mounted a years-long opposition to the Arbutus Street project, maintain that the building is a massive, challenging development that is too big and in the wrong place, located directly across the street from an elementary school.