Speakers:
Silas Xeurub
Silas is a Researcher interested in economic inequality and using data to understand all dimensions of inequality in Canada. He has Master’s degrees in Economics from the Paris School of Economics and the University of British Columbia, where he began working with the Balanced Supply of Housing Node to understand evictions in Canada. This past year, he worked as a Researcher at Vivic Research, an economic and public policy research firm specializing in research to support non-profit organizations with their advocacy work. In the fall, he will be starting a PhD at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Sarah Mardsen
Sarah Mardsen is Director, Systems Change and Legal at First United. Sarah has worked in the legal field for over 20 years, including work as an advocate, as a lawyer, and in legal research and education. Sarah has a degree in Philosophy from York University, a law degree and a Masters degree in law from the University of Victoria, and a PhD in law from the University of British Columbia.
In 2021, Sarah led the development of First United’s Eviction Mapping project, a British-Columbia wide initiative documenting the impact of evictions as part First United’s housing justice work. The results will be used to inform First United’s law reform work in the area of residential tenancy law and beyond.
Presentation Title: Understanding Evictions in Canada through the Canadian Housing Survey
Presentation Description: This presentation describes the results of research on evictions in Canada using survey data from the 2018 and 2021 waves of the Canadian Housing Survey. This survey, which includes a nationally representative sample of renter households, allows for estimating eviction rates for various demographic groups and regions across Canada. We also examine the causes of evictions, and find that most evictions reported by tenants are caused by landlords’ wanting to sell, renovate, or repair the property, or use it themselves. Only 1 in 20 evictions are caused by late or missed rent payments. These results are discussed in the context of increasing investor-owned housing.
Presentation Title: British Columbia Eviction Mapping Project – Introduction
Presentation Description: The BC Eviction Mapping project aims to make tenant protection stronger in BC by gathering information on where evictions are happening in the province, who is affected by them, and what the impacts are.
