Cost to taxpayers growing as Granville SRO remains open for 1 resident
It is now past mid-August, so the inferred cost, since July 1, of running the 110-unit Luugat SRO hotel on Granville Street is in excess of $150,000.
B.C. taxpayers continue to fund the operation of a single Granville Street SRO building for a lone resident as the government struggles to close it down. The cost of maintaining the 110-unit Luugat, which now has just one inhabitant, has surpassed $150,000 since July 1. Ryan Donnelly, the sole occupant, has not been reachable for comment.
The B.C. government had pledged to shut down the Luugat by the end of June, but has failed to meet this deadline. Donnelly's predicament is due to a seizure disorder that necessitates a large room and an elevator-equipped building. Clinical psychologist Julian Somers criticized the province's single-room occupancy model, stating it is a failure and that European countries and cities have moved away from such an approach for severe addiction cases.
Despite assurances from Housing Minister Christine Boyle that the situation is improving, Granville Street resident Lorne Caron decried the waste of taxpayer money, asserting that there is no accountability from the NDP government.
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