North Van petition says deaf, disabled, transgender people would negatively affect neighbourhood

NORTH VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Shock and outrage are some of the feelings being expressed online after controversial comments made by a group hoping to stop the construction of an addiction recovery house in North Vancouver.

A petition, circulated at a public meeting last night, says that the facility would bring people in unsafe situations into the community.

The controversial part is that it counts people who are HIV positive, IV drug users, alcoholics and the homeless among those who would contribute to that.

And, in a poorly blacked-out statement that is still quite visible, the petition states “transgender, deaf and disabled” people are also among those who would “hugely affect the neighbourhood in a negative way.”

The recovery house proposed for Windridge Drive in the Seymour neighbourhood would have space for nine people.

The petition says those people would drive down real estate prices, noting “many of them suffer some kind of mental disorder.”

The people who circulated the petition are not part of a formal organization; it is a loosely organized group of like-minded neighbours.

People took to Twitter to express their outrage.

@llikemoyd @BrentRichter appalling misinformation on that ‘document’. Such ignorance around recovery houses and addiction. #compassion

— Helen Whitehead (@hvwhitehead) February 20, 2015

@llikemoyd @BrentRichter I was shocked and disappointed by some of the things I overheard whilst waiting for the North Van meeting cont…

— Helen Whitehead (@hvwhitehead) February 20, 2015

@News1130radio @llikemoyd Who wrote this garbage? They should check their facts. Obviously hasn’t ever had someone close need help

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— wondering (@dabreener) February 20, 2015

@llikemoyd @BrentRichter Disturbed at the blacked out comments on the document you posted. R folks truly concerned about transgender status?

— MaryAnn Mortensen (@MaryAnnM_NW) February 20, 2015

@llikemoyd there are too many points in that letter that are outrageous … I don’t even know where to begin. Sad!

— Lara Gerrits (@laragerrits) February 20, 2015