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Class warfare erupts on Oak Bay front lawns

Residents awake to signs accusing them being segregationists as densification debate intensifies
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Signs appeared in Oak Bay Sunday morning. (Submitted photos)

Oak Bay discussions around infill housing, affordable housing, and the legalization of secondary suites has created a divide in the community.

The situation got more heated on Sunday morning when a few residents woke up to find signs on their lawns that they describe as “offensive and obnoxious.” The signs read: “We support class-based segregation” and “I fear poor people.”

The Oak Bay Police were notified.

The signs that appeared overnight were staked in next to lawn signs that the homeowners had previously put on their lawns that read “Stop Over Development. Respect Neighbourhoods.”

Many residents have attended council meetings and written letters to the editor to voice their support or concerns around the densification of Oak Bay.

The homeowners’ signs are part of a campaign by local residents concerned about how a redevelopment of the Oak Bay United Church site would affect their neighbourhood. As part of their “Neighbourhood Outreach Initiatives,” the Concerned Citizen Network has distributed lawn signs “showing support for neighbourhood respect.”

The citizen group says it is not opposed to affordable housing.


 

keri.coles@oakbaynews.com

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keri.coles@oakbaynews.com