Bahay Migrante’s 9-bedroom house at 4794 Fraser St. in Vancouver is listed for $1, 988.000. (MLS photo)
Vancouver, B.C.
‘Dream Home’ for migrant workers up for sale
By Ted Alcuitas
The house that was to be a dream home for Filipino migrants in B.C. is for sale.
The two-story house at 4794 Fraser St. In East Vancouver was bought in 2013 for $699,000 according to a source in the real estate industry.
It is listed for $1,988.000 today, reduced from $3 million a year ago according to our source. While it is listed in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), no mention about its sale was made in the website of Migrante B. C. ( link to website)
The impetus to buy a house for migrant workers came after Migrante B.C. was given a share of the $1.4 million settlement paid by Denny’s Restaurant to 77 Filipino temporary workers in their class-action suit against the company in 2013.
The migrant’s group received $40,000 as a condition of the settlement for its role in helping lawyers prepare for the case – the first in Canada under the Temporary Worker’s Program.
Bahay Migrante was officially opened in October 2014 amidst much fanfare with politicians, government officials and workers coming together to celebrate the event.
Photo:Munting Rayon
http://muntingnayon.com/103/103823/
According to our source, the property is titled to four people:
Jane Ordinario and husband Francisco Tejero, Marie Erie Maestro and Elizabeth Dollaga.
All four were former active members of the Philippine Women Centre of B.C. (PWC) operating under the Kalayaan Centre located at 451 Powell in the Downtown Eastside. The centre existed for over 20 years until the PWC broke up sometime in 2008.
Migrante B.C. was formed as a result of that split.
The Kalayaan Centre building was bought in 1996 and sold in March 2013 under dubious circumstances. Critics questioned why it was sold way below the assessed value.
Fire officials supervised the demolition of The Kalayaan Centre building on 451 Powell St. in July 2013. (Vancouver Sun photo)
To date, nothing is known what happened to the proceeds of the sale since the PWC is no longer existing, if at all.
https://www.vancourier.com/community/vancouver-special/strathcona/strathcona-philippine-women-centre-looks-to-re-open-1.375378
If the sale goes through, it will be the third community-owned centre to be sold after The Kalayaan Centre.
In 2008, a controversial land deal saw the 1.7 acre Philippine Community Centre Society (PCCS) property in Surrey, B.C. sold for $2,025,000.
Marcelino “Mars” dela Cruz, president of the PCCS at the time boasted “richest Filipino Canadian association in British Columbia, if not in entire Canada.”
The proceeds were used to buy another property in Richmond which Cruz’ touted as another building that would be up before the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010.
To date nothing is known about that project and what happened to the $2,025.000.
http://www.asianpacificpost.com/article/2796-“secret”-land-deal-splits-bc-filipinos.html