Vancouver’s chief housing officer Mukhtar Latif, who was also the CEO of the Vancouver Affordable Housing Agency, is no longer employed at city hall, city manager Sadhu Johnston announced in a January 31 statement
"The City of Vancouver has made a change to how it implements affordable housing in Vancouver to meet its vision for a resilient, diverse and connected city where everyone has a place to call home," said Johnston, who didn't explain in his statement whether Latif was fired or resigned.
In his statement, Johnston said the city recently established a "housing leadership table" that he chairs. All major housing initiatives are vetted and prioritized to ensure progress is made throughout the organization, he said.
"As part of that transition, Mukhtar Latif, who has served as the chief housing officer and CEO of VAHA is no longer with the City of Vancouver, nor CEO of VAHA," Johnston said. "I would like to thank Mukhtar for his work with the City of Vancouver."
Latif worked extensively in the United Kingdom before taking a job with the city in October 2013.
Luke Johnson, a senior planner with the Vancouver Affordable Housing Agency, is now serving as interim CEO of the housing agency. The Vancouver Affordable Housing Agency was tasked with delivering 2,500 affordable housing units by 2021.
Johnston acknowledged Latif's work in directing housing policy and projects for several years, including developing affordable housing policies and the development of an Aboriginal housing strategy.
Latif could not immediately be reached for comment at the time of posting this story.
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