Photo by Vince Fedoroff
OBJECTION STATED – The Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition held a rally Friday to emphasize its opposition to the governmentʼs decisio n to cancel its affordable housing project in Whitehorse. Coalition co-chair Charlotte Hrenchuk addressed the gathering.
Photo by Vince Fedoroff
Luc Garceau
Photo by Vince Fedoroff
Charlotte Hrenchuck
Whitehorse residents and community leaders gathered in the rain Friday to express their disapproval of the government’s decision to scrap an affordable housing program in the city.
Whitehorse residents and community leaders gathered in the rain Friday to express their disapproval of the government’s decision to scrap an affordable housing program in the city.
About 40 people congregated under the gazebo at Rotary Peace Park Friday afternoon as part of the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition’s protest.
“The way this decision was made is not good enough for our community,” said coalition co-chair Charlotte Hrenchuk.
“We deserve better. This decision affects the whole community, the wide range of Whitehorse citizens, the working people of Whitehorse, the everyday citizen using over 30 per cent of their earnings to put a roof over their heads, seniors, working families, single parents, employers, businesspeople and newcomers to our community.
“One must ask the question: who benefits from this decision?”
Two weeks ago, the Yukon government announced it was not continuing with plans to build up to 75 affordable housing units in Whitehorse using $13 million in Northern Housing Trust funds.
Brad Cathers, the minister responsible for the Yukon Housing Corporation, told the Star at the time that the Yukon Real Estate Association and the Yukon Residential Landlords Association expressed concerns about the recent increase in land availability and housing supply, and that new government-subsidized rental units would discourage private investment.
Hrenchuk made it clear she was disappointed that the government opted to listen to the two groups who she said “do not represent the majority of Yukoners or the interests of the majority of Whitehorse citizens.”
She encouraged the crowd to write to Cathers and “invite him to live on what’s left after you pay the rent for a month.”
Hrenchuk also read aloud Premier Darrell Pasloski and MP Ryan Leef’s phone numbers, encouraging people to call them and express their discontent.
Nancy Tanner, owner of the downtown Beez Kneez hostel, said often newcomers will stay with her until they find a place to live. She’ll try to help them, contacting friends of hers who manage apartment buildings.
And while these newcomers are all ages, from many different backgrounds, she said they all have one thing in common: no place to live.
“And by the time you pay first and last’s months rent and a damage deposit in a town you don’t know if you’re going to like, in a job you don’t know if you’re going to like, it’s $3,000 out of their pocket,” said Tanner, sounding sad. “I think that’s just horrendous.”
Luc Garceau decided to attend the protest after reading about the government’s decision, which he called “a shame.”
The protest, he said, is a way to show the government that people care.
“There’s a need out there and the need is not well-assessed ... You have families, single women, people coming from the Whitehorse Correctional Centre. They need supportive housing.”
One woman who spoke at the microphone identified herself as Audrey. She teared up as she spoke about her struggle to find affordable housing in the city after she moved here from France six years ago.
She lived at a hostel for two months as she searched for a place to live. Then, after a month spent at her newfound home, the tenants were kicked out. She moved to a campground and lived in a tent.
Now, Audrey said, she has found a new, suitable home, but her rent is more than 50 per cent of her income.
“When I heard about that story (the government cancelling the plan), I just gave up,” she said. “It is just too hard. I became Canadian and I’m so glad I can vote because I’m going to vote very soon.”
The crowd clapped and cheered.
“I’m so upset,” she continued. “And I know so many people who are in worse situations than me.”
Hrenchuk said she would be meeting with Cathers in a few weeks, as well as with the Yukon Housing Corporation board, to share her concerns.
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Comments (10)
Up 0 Down 0
Scotty on Denman on Jul 31, 2014 at 9:16 am
So-called "affordable housing" is a problem everywhere. My view is that if one can afford to build a dwelling, it's affordable. If the cost can't be recovered in a reasonable period of renting, say, ten years, then it's probably not affordable for either builder or renter. Where I live, restrictive zoning bylaws and, of course, that fuzzy by-word, "affordability", are circumvented by way of illegal, or, put in a nicer way, "non-conforming" dwellings which range from tents in the back forty, through buses to travel trailers, single-wides, small cabins and discreet suites.
A type of dwelling detente exists in our community because, despite many of these illegal dwellings being plainly visible, so many people either provide or avail that nobody lodges official complaint (the first step in bylaw enforcement) because they are personally acquainted with renters, are providers or renters themselves or are close to people who are. I'm not averse to this situation except that some of these 'underground' arrangements are unhealthy or dangerous and the renter has little recourse to remedy without attracting the attention of bylaw enforcement---AND that this tacit acceptance of illegal dwellings tends to breed disrespect for other, more sensible or important bylaws.
Officially there is an overt prohibition against high-density development here but this acceptance of illegal dwellings in our midst isn't entirely hypocritical: as our community ages, multiplied by rising real estate prices, where else can younger people who we need to chop our wood and fix our porches find affordable housing?
Government certainly does have a role to play in the provision of shelter for disadvantaged people, but it also can provide an economic boost to local builders, integrate construction apprenticeships and generally pursue other social policies that are quite worthwhile---never mind what some self-interested parties might say. Nevertheless, there is a big role to play for private development by way of secondary dwellings and suites. Many cities are beginning to explore the efficiencies available in 'densification'---while grappling with the inevitable political controversies that arise. It seems to me and many like me that allowing property owners to provide housing by way of secondary dwellings and suites is "affordable" in many ways and should be considered an essential part of housing solutions along with investment from both private real estate developers and the public sector. The benefit to society as a whole in ensuring the availability of proper housing is too great to ignore.
Up 9 Down 1
Randy Collins on Jul 9, 2014 at 10:38 am
Where is the common ground here? The landlords need to make money. The renters need a place to stay that they can afford and the Government keeps prominsing and then taking away plans for the homeless.
My wife and I moved away from Whitehorse last year because we couldn't afford the rents with what we were making as an Income. How many other people like us would've loved to stay and make a life in Whitehorse, but left because it was too expensive. Not everyone has a "glitzy" government job there. There were people living in their cars when we lived there because they couldn't afford to rent.
Also, on the point that there are rent accomodations already available. Where? We never found them and when we approached the Housing authority we were assessed as being homeless but had to wait six months for an opening. Is that what you call, "available" accomodation.
Up 10 Down 3
Andy Odel on Jul 8, 2014 at 8:15 pm
Why doesn't the media inform the public of what was really going to happen with the proposed "affordable housing" projects, as it was previously planned? At the end of the 10 year term, only the developers would be benefiting from the donation of the NHT funds. They could then double the rents, sell the place as high-priced condos, the NHT funds would be gone, and the tenants in need would be no further ahead. Meanwhile, during the ten year term, the developer/ landlords could rent these brand new units to their high-income friends, family, co-workers or any other "cream-of-the-crop" tenants, with no regulations of renting to those people in need who the funds were meant to be for.
Do some research people and be thankful that Brad Cathers was a strong enough leader to listen to real concerns, and prevent this waste of funds, until a better thought plan will ensure the money goes long-term to the people who desperately need this affordable housing.
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Hmmm on Jul 8, 2014 at 3:13 pm
Can't really blame the gov for this, they put the money on the table and relied on YHC staff to put a program together. High paid bureaucrats should be able to conduct market research, needs analysis and design a program. Shame the gov was let down by the staff they relied on.
Up 10 Down 3
Flashbacks on Jul 8, 2014 at 2:52 pm
Why are you moving here?! I'm not understanding why it is people just see the dollar per hour amount for a job they aren't getting the same amount for in their own community. Are they not researching the amount of living, not just rent but food, electricity, entertainment, HEAT? It's just a huge flashback of tent city, everyone from every where else getting very upset that we didn't have affordable housing to accommodate them. I'm happy no matter if you became Canadian or that you always were that you love where in the world you live. But there are several other provinces you can move to that have different economical situations. Further more tenants are just as picky as landlords, and especially people moving here from a place that pays less but has landlords struggling to find tenants as there are so many options they come to expect a certain standard. No you can not rent my 1 bedroom basement suite with your 2 well behaved cats and your dog who "never barks" and your teenaged child who is quiet and keeps to themself all for my asking price of $1000 a month including everything!! Why? Because it has one bedroom and you should not have moved here with that expectation. If it was easy enough for you to find that back home I suggest you go back there and put on your work boots and work HARD at the wages offered there. If the wages seem worth it up here there is going to have to be some sacrifices involved and please please please don't come here with $0 in your pocket. This is the situation we are in, and many of us are dealing with it just fine and it's just comical that the ones dealing with it through hard work and saving are supposed to also help the ones as an above comment said "congregating on a Friday afternoon". Work comes first whining comes second.
Up 5 Down 2
Flashbacks on Jul 8, 2014 at 2:52 pm
Why are you moving here?! I'm not understanding why it is people just see the dollar per hour amount for a job they aren't getting the same amount for in their own community. Are they not researching the amount of living, not just rent but food, electricity, entertainment, HEAT? It's just a huge flashback of tent city, everyone from every where else getting very upset that we didn't have affordable housing to accommodate them.
I'm happy no matter if you became Canadian or that you always were that you love where in the world you live. But there are several other provinces you can move to that have different economical situations. Further more tenants are just as picky as landlords, and especially people moving here from a place that pays less but has landlords struggling to find tenants as there are so many options they come to expect a certain standard. No you can not rent my 1 bedroom basement suite with your 2 well behaved cats and your dog who "never barks" and your teenaged child who is quiet and keeps to their self all for my asking price of $1000 a month including everything!! Why? Because it has one bedroom and you should not have moved here with that expectation. If it was easy enough for you to find that back home I suggest you go back there and put on your work boots and work HARD at the wages offered there.
If the wages seem worth it up here there is going to have to be some sacrifices involved and please please please don't come here with $0 in your pocket. This is the situation we are in, and many of us are dealing with it just fine and it's just comical that the ones dealing with it through hard work and saving are supposed to also help the ones as an above comment said "congregating on a Friday afternoon". Work comes first whining comes second.
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Magdalena on Jul 7, 2014 at 11:26 pm
Good luck on getting ANYONE to take your call let alone Brad Cathers or Darrell Pasloski. Silence and avoidance is the platform of the Yukon Conservative Party. Ryan Leef is pointless as he's a yes man getting as many photo ops and see me opportunities in as possible. He's trying to climb to the top of the political ladder so everything he does is for show, not merit. This government cares not for the poor, the disenfranchised or the people struggling to keep a roof over their head IF they can find one.
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Just Say'in on Jul 7, 2014 at 11:06 pm
When I zoomed in on that picture it looked like nobody other then the NDP Party faithful. haha Funny.
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Just Say'in on Jul 7, 2014 at 11:03 pm
The fact that these people can congregate in the middle of a Friday afternoon tells me why they want low cost (FREE) housing. They don't work. Yukon housing is already providing hundreds of low cost housing options as low as under fifty dollars per month. There is also Whitehorse Housing and Fourteen First Nations all providing huge amounts of subsidized low cost housing. The fact is everyone wants that. Oh yeah and the rest of us that are paying for our expensive housing will pay to subsidize theirs. Well not me.
Up 14 Down 3
bobbybitman on Jul 7, 2014 at 5:34 pm
The following statement is typical of the uninformed protestor, “by the time you pay first and last’s months rent and a damage deposit in a town you don’t know if you’re going to like, it’s $3,000”... “I think that’s just horrendous.”
Let's take this apart, shall we? First of all, there is no 'last month's rent'. Not allowed under current Yukon laws. There is a security deposit that cannot exceed one month's rent.
And of course you pay your 'first month's rent' before you move in! So, what is this poor renter really 'out'? Assuming they were intending to pay rent, they have only put down a damage deposit. If a person is financially unstable enough that a damage deposit puts them over the edge, they've got issues that a landlord should not be expected to cater to.
Next, that poor newcomer to Whitehorse is laying out the money for a rental place, 'in a town they might not even like'. What is that supposed to mean? That the renter should be able to skip out when they decide they don't like the Whitehorse? But for that nasty security deposit! Foiled again, horrendous! The horror, the horror.
The only one who seems to have his head screwed on is Luc Garceau, who is there to express support and to show that people care. He states accurately that this town needs supportive housing for some people. I agree.
The projects that were canceled were to build bachelors and one bedrooms, to be rented out at market rates (10% below the median rents for Whitehorse), and which had no requirement that they go to low income or anyone who needs support. It was a bad deal, it was not what Whitehorse needs. I am glad it was canceled. That said, I want the money spent asap to help provide housing, in whatever manner, for people who actually need housing.