[Podcast] Charity vs. Justice: Unpacking the Vancouver Rent Bank

October 23, 2012

How is a billionaire mining magnate involved in Vancouver’s new rent bank?

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Courtesy of http://www.niccss.ca.

The City critically unpacks the recently launched Vancouver rent bank with the editors of The Mainlander. Editors Tristan Markle, Andrew Witt, and Nathan Crompton recently published an in-depth, and highly critical analysis of the rent bank. We discuss a seemingly progressive institution – the rent bank – and look at the history of who is financially involved in the program, why it matters, and if the rent bank is actually as innocent as it may seem. We look at the issue of charity versus justice in our neoliberal times, and we turn to renowned political philosopher Slavoj Zizek for some assistance in understanding the role of charity in society today.

Written by The City Posted in Economy, Gentrification, Housing, Podcasts, Politics Tagged with affordable housing, andrew witt, british columbia, canada revenue agency, charitable giving, charity, city of vancouver, developers, eviction, frank giustra, gentrification, gregor robertson, inner city community services, justice, kerry jang, mining, nathan cromptom, philanthropy, private foundations, radcliffe foundation, renoviction, rich, slavoj zizek, streetohome, tax evasion, the mainlander, tristan markle, vancouver foundation, vancouver rent bank, vision vancouver