MLA Jenny Kwan who represents one of Canada’s poorest neighbourhoods buys $1.9M Home in another riding

[J529]

http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/04/11/b-c-mla-jenny-kwan-who-represents-one-of-canadas-poorest-neighbourhoods-buys-1-9m-home-in-another-riding/

VICTORIA — The B.C. MLA who represents one of Canada’s poorest neighbourhoods now lives in a $1.9-million home in Vancouver’s tony Kitsilano neighbourhood.

Vancouver-Mount Pleasant MLA Jenny Kwan bought the house, near Kitsilano Secondary, for $1.938 million late last year after separating from her husband, Dan Small.

“After my husband and I separated, I moved to be close to my brother, who is helping me with my children,” Kwan said in a statement, after declining an interview.

“My passion and commitment for representing my constituents in Vancouver-Mt. Pleasant is unwavering and I will continue to be a strong voice for them.”

Kwan’s riding includes Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Canada. She has represented the area since 1996, and has been a vocal public advocate for the homeless, as well as services for those suffering from poverty and addictions.

Although many MLAs do live in the ridings they represent, it is not a legal requirement.

Premier Christy Clark, who lost her seat in Vancouver-Point Grey in last May’s provincial election, now represents the riding of Westside-Kelowna, even though she primarily lives in the Lower Mainland.

The legislature does not keep a list of MLAs who live outside their ridings, but several MLAs on both sides of the house — including Liberal cabinet minsters Suzanne Anton (Vancouver-Fraserview) and Teresa Wat (Richmond Centre) — live outside their ridings.

Kwan returned to the legislature on Wednesday after being caught up in a spending scandal involving her family’s vacation expenses being paid by a Downtown Eastside charitable organization that provides housing and addiction services to the poor.

Kwan reimbursed the Portland Hotel Society almost $34,922 for trips to Disneyland, the United Kingdom and Vienna in 2012, which she said her husband billed to the society without her knowledge.

Small had been a senior executive at the Portland Hotel Society.

After a tearful press conference in which Kwan apologized for the spending, she took a two-week unpaid leave of absence from her job as MLA.

NDP leader Adrian Dix celebrated Kwan’s return Wednesday with a press conference during which he called her “courageous” for taking responsibility for her husband’s actions.

Kwan said she used two personal lines of credit to make the repayment to the society, and has not spoken to her ex-husband since her leave from office.

“This has been a very difficult, challenging time for me personally, but I’m returning fully committed to represent the people of my community and to work to ensure my constituents have a strong voice,” said Kwan.

She sidestepped questions on whether her family spending controversy has hurt her Opposition party’s ability to criticize the Liberal government on issues of poverty reduction and services for the Downtown Eastside.

[DonLever]

Didn't she just came back from her self imposed "leave of absence" which was like 3 weeks. That was sure short.

Politicians make good money so they can afford an expensive home.

Just because she believes in Socialism does not mean she cannot live in a $1.9 million house. Where do you expect her to live? In a homeless shelter?

[NightHawkSniper]

Didn't she just came back from her self imposed "leave of absence" which was like 3 weeks. That was sure short.

Politicians make good money so they can afford an expensive home.

Just because she believes in Socialism does not mean she cannot live in a $1.9 million house. Where do you expect her to live? In a homeless shelter?

If it was in her riding, yes

[Warhippy]

Our political system allows for this. MP's and MLA's and even Mayors don't live int eh areas they represent. It is very common.

As for the price tag, honestly...housing prices in vancouver being what they are...it's not a shock at all

[etsen3]

It's her money, she can spend it however she wants. If you don't like it, blame it on whoever assigned her such a big salary.

[The Vancouver Connection]

exactly. she earned the damn money, and bought an average priced home in vancouver...who cares?

[J529]

Listeners was calling and emailing into CKNW furious about this and feel Kwan should resign. It was also said that if someone from Liberals had done this, Kwan would be all over them calling for them to resign.

[DonLever]

Listeners was calling and emailing into CKNW furious about this and feel Kwan should re-sign. It was also said that if someone from Liberals had done this, Kwan would be all over them calling for them to re-sign.

Jenney Kwan always rip the Liberals for the slightest indiscretions, yet she practically does the same things. Thats politics for you.

And isn't it funny the Liberals are letting her off the hook pretty easily considering her partisan attacks. Probably because the Liberals want to hide their own closet skeletons.

As for Jenny Kwan, running in the safest NDP riding in BC if not the entire country, does wonders for your pocket book. How would you like like a job for life where there is no possibility of defeat as long you want to run? The NDP could run a dog in the riding and win.

She has been living off the taxpayer her entire career for 21 years. First as a member of city council in 1993. Then from 1996 to now has been a NDP MLA. For such a long career, her pension must be enormous when she gets it.

[Papayas]

Listeners was calling and emailing into CKNW furious about this and feel Kwan should re-sign. It was also said that if someone from Liberals had done this, Kwan would be all over them calling for them to re-sign.

wait... so they are furious about Kwan but want to "re-sign" her?

[J529]

wait... so they are furious about Kwan but want to "re-sign" her?

You know what I meant to say "resign"

[Common sense]

She could kill a puppy and still get re-elected. That's how safe Vancouver - Mt Pleasant is.

[EoH]

Don't care where she lives, as long as she does her job

[Offensive Threat]

The title of this thread actually calls Vancouver -Mt. Pleasant "One of Canadas poorest neighborhoods" are you insane? A one bedroom shoebox apt in Mt. Pleasant starts at $400K let alone an actual house there which start at over a million. No poor people live there.

[J529]

The title of this thread actually calls Vancouver -Mt. Pleasant "One of Canadas poorest neighborhoods" are you insane? A one bedroom shoebox apt in Mt. Pleasant starts at $400K let alone an actual house there which start at over a million. No poor people live there.

That's how the title of the story reads when you click link.

[DonLever]

The title of this thread actually calls Vancouver -Mt. Pleasant "One of Canadas poorest neighborhoods" are you insane? A one bedroom shoebox apt in Mt. Pleasant starts at $400K let alone an actual house there which start at over a million. No poor people live there.

You have no clue what you are talking about. I live in the Mount Pleasant riding and it includes the downtown eastside. Sure there are some expensive homes further down and condos there but most of the people live in poverty. Tons of of them. You should come down to Main and Hastings one of these days The V6A postal code is considered the poorest in the whole of Canada. The area is full of rentals and social housing.

[D-Money]

You can't buy a crack shack on the west side of Vancouver for less than a mil, so I don't understand why the 1.9 is a concern.

And as for being in another riding, wouldn't you?

[RUPERTKBD]

Another one for the "who cares" file.

For some reason, Kwan seems like the target for the morally upright these days.

[KoreanHockeyFan]

Okay...? It's not like she earned her money illegally or something...

Who cares...

[Lancaster]

If she went and bought a 20 million dollar house in Shaughnessy or something, that might raise some red-flags.

But moving to the riding right beside hers? What's the big deal? If she moved off to Kamloops, I can understand the outrage, but she probably just moved like 2km to the West.

[Offensive Threat]

You have no clue what you are talking about. I live in the Mount Pleasant riding and it includes the downtown eastside. Sure there are some expensive homes further down and condos there but most of the people live in poverty. Tons of of them. You should come down to Main and Hastings one of these days The V6A postal code is considered the poorest in the whole of Canada. The area is full of rentals and social housing.

I stand corrected. When I was looking at places for sale 2 years ago the area the agents called Mt. Pleasant ran south of Chinatown and did not include the DT East side. I checked the map of the riding.