Woman killed in housing run by group committed to ending violence against women
Credit to Author: Susan Lazaruk| Date: Sat, 25 Jan 2020 02:16:49 +0000
A woman who was found beaten in her room at the Gastown Hotel and died of her injuries lived in social housing by a group committed to ending violence against women.
The family of Tonya Hyer, who was Vancouver’s third homicide victim this year, is demanding answers, particularly about the actions of staff at the provincially owned single-room occupancy hotel run by Atira Property Management.
Police were called to the building at 112 Water St. at about 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 19 by paramedics.
“The victim had been injured, but paramedics were unable to resuscitate her,” police said in a news release.
A Vancouver police spokeswoman, Const. Tania Visintin, in an email that investigators are working on the case, but she could not comment further. “Investigators do believe this was an isolated incident and there is no risk to the public.”
Hyer, 45, was in the building’s common area, said her brother Shawn Hyer, from his Calgary home.
He said police told him details that he didn’t want to make public, but he questioned why the building’s staff didn’t intervene or call police before his sister returned to her room that night.
“We (the family) feel like the building staff could have called the police and escorted the people responsible out,” he said.
“Somebody should be held accountable,” said Hyer’s friend, Sam O., who only wanted the first initial of her last name used. “Atira should be held accountable. Why wasn’t the staff keeping her safe?”
Janice Abbott, head of the Atira Women’s Resource Society, said in an email that a review is being done to see if “there was anything we could have done differently.”
She wouldn’t comment on details because police are investigating but said “please be aware there are a million rumours circulating right now.”
Abbott said there are two staff on shift around the clock at Atira residential buildings and they are responsible for a number of duties, including checking guests’ identities.
The tenancies are governed by the provincial residential tenancy act, so tenants have a right to invite guests into their rooms, she said.
But tenants are supposed to accompany them between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. and the number of guests are restricted to two a room.
“We do require guests to provide ID,” she wrote. “We are not supported in this by the (act) and many of our tenants know same. … Getting guests to provide ID therefore can be/is often a struggle.”
And guests sometimes come in through fire doors, she said.
She acknowledged what Hyer’s friends and family said, that drug dealers sometimes use tenants’ rooms, sometimes in exchange for money.
“This can be an issue,” she said, adding the situation is complex.
“It is not pervasive, but once set up is extremely challenging to dismantle.“
Shawn said his sister, who was one of triplets, grew up in Regina, where her mother still lives. She played soccer with her brothers as a child and as an adult did yoga and mixed martial arts and was a huge UFC fan.
Shawn, Sam O., and another friend, Maya Lennie of Chilliwack, said they worried about Tonya after she went back to using drugs about four years ago, after a decade of being clean and an active member of Narcotics Anonymous. She worked as a peer counsellor during those years.
“She helped so many people get clean,” said Sam. “She had such a huge heart. She was my mama bear and inspired me and showed me the ropes. We’ve been trying to reach out and I really thought this was going to be her year, a comeback year.”
“I was one of so many friends of Tonya,” said Lennie, who met Tonya in recovery 17 years ago. “She was a very strong lady. She would give you the shirt off her back.”
Shawn said he marvelled at how his sister would be able to quote from memory uplifting sayings. “It was from the heart.”
He said the family now is hoping the police will find who’s responsible.
“We want justice for the actual murder,” he said.