Social housing at Olympic Village to cost $595,000 per unit

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Olympic Village | Photo 03

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uploaded by Barry Artiste

Barry Artiste Op/Ed

SlumDog Millionaire takes a New Twist in Vancouver, it may be sweeping the Oscars down South, but here in Vangroovy, it is offering Luxury Housing for the homeless masses, some deserving, and of course some not deserving (Drug Dealers), who will spoil it for the masses. You would think a billion dollars would go a long way elsewhere in this province, rural areas where land is cheaper would build thousands and thousands of social housing units! But Waterfront? Gimme a Break! Course there are those who whine that the homeless need to be downtown to find work! Work being to hang outside ATMs bumming spare change, or deal drugs, Now there is a Career Move!  Wake up people! You really think many of these homeless will find gainful employment? Give your head a shake!  At least locating them in Rural areas will keep them from the downtown eastside (DTES) Drug influence many have fallen under.  But then who am I to say, I do not live in Vancouver, hence not a taxpayer there Thank Christ!

I have written more than a few stories on this Beached Whale of a Project. Funny how Math works when you are a politician, they say these shoebox condos are $600,000 per unit for each homeless person, when the real cost is 2 million dollars per unit. One wonders who the new tenants will be, it would be nice if these units were large enough to house working class families, but alas shoebox apartments may go elsewhere, the homeless, not families. Once word spreads in this country that luxury waterfront condos are available for the homeless at the asking, Vancouver City Downtown Core will be Homeless Ground Zero as everyone looking for luxury digs will move here enmasse! 

Then take into consideration the surrounding land in which his homeless uptopia is being built around that is another 252 million.  OOHH and the maintenance contractor to maintain the buildings to Leeds status will run close to 200 millions dollars. Not to mention Building insurance, who will pay to insure the building individual condos against fire and flood? Certainly not the homeless!  The city will have to foot that staggering multi Million dollar bill every year. Of course that is if they can find an Insurance company Stupid enough to take on the Policy. Failing that, Vancouver City Hall can rely on it's taxpayers as the Insurance lender in order to effect repairs, and I wonder if those repairs would be to a LEEDS Standard? I doubt it!

It may be a Leeds Gold Building, once built, but once the Homeless and Druggies move in, the Leeds Status will soon be removed as they put their own personal stamp on these units, such a railroad spikes to hold up towels, shopping carts in their units, tire fires in the courtyard and graffitti etc. The underground parking will not have rows upon rows of shiny BMWs, but will be reserved for Shopping Carts full of God Knows What~!

So you see when a 1 billion dollar price tag is stated, these units true cost is close to 4 million dollars for 600 square foot luxury walk in closet with a view.

But dont tell politicians that, cause truth hurts, and for Vancouver taxpayers who will pay for all this for generations to come it will really, really hurt.  So take 252 units and divide it into a billion dollars and see if you come up with $600,000? Can't be done, unless your Math Wiz Mayor Gregor Robertson, maybe it is Municipal Councilors Wacky Math skills which got us into this mess in the first place when they said a couple of years back the entire project would only cost a couple of hundred million.

Guess where Crime Central will be? Bingo is his NameO!

Time for British Columbian's to put their "Foot Down and Stop the Insanity", otherwise only the "Insane will be Running our City", and that is not too far off from the "Truth as it is"!

Below is a link to my past story, looking at the photos in my story you will clearly see why these luxury condos will soon turn into this!

http://my.nowpublic.com/world/art-crack