Letter to the Editor

Sanitation and housing safety are not advantages granted to specific classes in this country. And yet it sometimes seems that way.

In Cranbrook, not all of our residents are able to access proper sanitation or safe housing, particularly many of our poor, indigent and marginalized citizens. Which class do they belong to? Not polite to say? Well, consider your own class. Have you ever described yourself or your neighbourhood as middle or upper class? Do you feel ‘advantaged’ that you have access to sanitation and secure housing? Are you aware that ‘advantaged’ means being in a condition of superiority or privilege? But honestly, no one in Canada should be disadvantaged when it comes to sanitation and housing, should they?

Sanitation means access to clean drinking water and the proper management of sewage and human waste. Cranbrook has some single occupancy rooms (SORs), basement suites, old homes, etcetera that lack this. There are rentals where the plumbing is cracked, rusted out, and dripping. Sometimes the toilets work, sometimes not. You wouldn’t dare drink out of the tap. It’s murky.

SORs have shared bathrooms. The shower stalls are frequently grimy, cracked and corroding. There is absolutely no reason on Earth why tenants down on their luck or not fully able to care for themselves should have to live in such squalor! Human dignity requires access to water and sanitation!

Safe housing is not an advantage of certain socio-economic strata, either. Housing with working water and plumbing, heat, electricity, a fridge and stove is a necessity. Safe housing should be free of vermin, provide protection from the elements, and be safe from risk of interference by others, assault and other crimes. Yet this exists in Cranbrook. Let’s call it like it is: these properties are run by slum landlords and owners.

How do they get away with it? How can they continue on their merry way taking their own advantage of the downtrodden? And herein, what risks do tenants run of eviction should they speak up? Perhaps these landlords operate under the guise of suggesting to us that they are doing us a favour by ‘at least’ providing this accommodation. Absurd. In truth, they are solely profiteers.

Is it a valid argument that we should tread softly rather than bring pressure to bear on slum landlords? Will more diligent public health and building enforcement run the risk that they lodgings will be taken off the market? Nonsense! New eviction laws can help prevent this. Some new creative approaches could, too.

When self-esteem and hope are already major challenges for people, spirits are further diminished when faced with the stark reality of these awful housing prospects for them? No matter how difficult one’s life is, hope and the human spirit can be lifted when decent, safe and secure shelter is available. Building new housing is great, but these tenants need help today. Let us, ourselves, not disadvantage them further. Let’s be more creative and helpful citizens. It’s not all the responsibility of government.

Melodie Hull,

Cranbrook

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