VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 18 (UPI) -- About 8,000 buildings in Vancouver, British Columbia, are at risk of serious damage from an earthquake, City Council member Susan Anton said.
Anton told CBC News the city has some of Canada's strictest seismic conditions but the standards only apply to buildings built in the past decade.
She is pushing for an awareness program that would inform people how sound their structures would if an earthquake strikes. The damage-prone structures house about 160,000 people.
"If you're a tenant in a building or a condo owner, you should be able to find out if that building is built to good seismic standards," Anton said.
The city is generating a report to identify structurally deficient buildings.
Anton said building owners might not spend money on seismic upgrades if they couldn't increase rent payments enough to recoup their investment.
"We have had such an emphasis on keeping affordable housing and rental housing," Anton said. "It's been very discouraging to landlords."
