"Urban Renewal" Again? Displacement in the 21st-Century

Photo:  Aerial view of vacant lot at 1770 Heatherington Road.

Ten years ago, one company gained ownership of an entire neighbourhood of 4,000 people. Now, after purposeful negligence on the company's part, the neighbourhood is slated for "revitalization" through the destruction of family homes and the displacement of low-income people and new Canadians. 

This is the story of Herongate, the area with the highest level of core housing need in Ottawa. In the middle of winter 2016, 80 townhomes were demolished for Phase 1 of the redevelopment to make way for "resort-style apartments." The houses and buildings in Herongate are known as some of the worst rentals in Ottawa.  But it wasn't the people who live here who chose to neglect the area.  Instead, they have continually built strong relationships and an atmosphere of friendship and solidarity. 

How did one company end up owning an entire 22-hectare neighbourhood? What can we do to stop the displacement of the people who have made up this neighbourhood? This tour will showcase how the community has organized to build an alternative path forward, the Heatherington Land Trust, that will permanently protect affordable housing and to fight the destruction of a central neighbourhood that has been home to people from all walks of life for decades.