Before Wendy Pedersen accepted the role of activist-in-residence at Simon Fraser University's Community-Engaged Research Initiative (CERi) in early 2023, she had mixed feelings regarding the "in residence" component.
CERi's offices are located in a co-working space in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. A decade ago, Ms. Pedersen advocated unsuccessfully for that very location, an old police station, to be converted to social housing. It was an emotional campaign that involved a friend going on a hunger strike.
"I had not stepped foot in that spot, had not stepped inside those doors. It felt like a bit of a betrayal," she says.