Yukoners brainstorm housing crisis solutions
NDP Leader Liz Hanson’s question was clear at Monday evening’s public forum on housing solutions: How can we fix our housing crisis before the snow starts to fly?
Photo by Vince Fedoroff
PASSIONATE ABOUT HOUSING –Whitehorse residents gather at the Centre de la francophonie Monday evening to explore possible solutions to the city’s housing crisis. The public forum on housing solutions was hosted by the Yukon NDP. Anna Crawford Tracey Wallace and Dave Blottner
NDP Leader Liz Hanson’s question was clear at Monday evening’s public forum on housing solutions: How can we fix our housing crisis before the snow starts to fly?
“With another winter just four months away, time is running out,” Hanson said to kick off the forum, which took place at the Centre de la francophonie on Strickland Street.
“I know our community has the expertise and desire to address the housing gap. As Yukoners, we have demonstrated so often in the past, if we put our heads together, we will find practical solutions.”
The aim of the evening was to generate public discussion around how the Yukin can fix its housing crisis.
Representatives of the City of Whitehorse, the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce, the Boys and Girls Club, Skookum Jim’s Friendship Centre, the Salvation Army, the Yukon Ant-Poverty Coalition, politicians and political hopefuls, as well dozens of Whitehorse residents attended the forum.
Neither Premier Darrell Pasloski nor were any of his cabinet ministers were present.
Hanson emphasized her disappointment with the government’s decision to install a “no camping” sign in front of tent city last Friday afternoon.
The NDP leader said she was “shocked and appalled” to hear about the government’s latest decision to hire consultants to talk to homeless people in its effort to come up with a solution for Whitehorse’s housing crisis.
“This has been done over and over,” she said. “If the government would just open their blinds, they might be able to see and talk themselves to these people.”
Before turning the mic over to the audience, Hanson emphasized that this crisis is a result of a “deliberate lack of planning.”
As for solutions, there were many.
Hanson said that although some were “pie in the sky” and some “concrete”, no idea should be discounted or ignored.
“This is an emergency situation, and I think we need to look a all options,” she said
Bill Thomas, the anti-poverty coalition’s co-chair, spoke on the option of building smaller units. He mentioned the possibility of constructing “pocket housing” – multi-occupancy units with an average of just over 200 square feet.
“I just saw a picture of an 84-square-foot unit on wheels,” he said.
“Let’s look at that. I’m picturing, ‘Oh, there goes John, pushing his house down the street. He must be relocating to his summer property,’” said Thomas, laughing.
He also mentioned the possibility of modular homes or the option of purchasing the former Canadian Tire building, which has a “For sale” sign that “seems to keep getting bigger and bigger.
“I keep hearing we’ve got to get creative, we’ve got to change our way of thinking, we’ve got to get outside the box,” continued Thomas.
“Your energy follows your attention. If you’re not paying attention to the housing crisis, your energy is directed somewhere else. I’m asking everyone, pay attention. This is serious.”
Mike Ellis, the senior planner for the City of Whitehorse, also spoke of the idea of building denser neighbourhoods.
He said that in 1996, the population was 24,000, and we’ve only just passed that number.
“We’ve had whole neighbourhoods, like Copper Ridge, built since then,” he said. “We have so many more houses now, and less people in each house.”
Ellis said that in the 1990s, there were a lot more suites, many of which are no longer in use.
“The city is really trying to encourage these suites to be built again,” he said. He mentioned an upcoming incentive giving homeowners up to $10,000 in tax breaks for adding a suite to their property. (See story, p. 2.)
Ellis noted the city has just announced the Development Incentives Policy, allowing tax breaks for building “various types of housing developments.
“I’ve heard a lot of developers say, ‘Yeah, sure it’s economic to build condos in downtown Whitehorse – luxury condos, that is.’ They would love to build $300,000, or less, condos, but it just doesn’t make economic sense for them,” said Ellis.
This latest incentive, he said, will allow developers to build more affordable housing.
Dave Blottner and Jan Stick, vying for the NDP nomination in Riverdale South for the fall election, both spoke at the forum.
Blottner, the executive director of the Boys and Girls Club, said that for the past six years, he has been lobbying for shelter services for youth and young adults, and a lot of work still has to be done.
“Every winter we have issues with youth who are couch-surfing, trading sexual favours for a warm place to sleep,” said the NDP hopeful.
“This needs to stop.”
Stick, a former city councillor and co-owner of Whitehorse’s Well-Read Books, talked about the possibility of using students from schools and apprentice programs to help with the construction labour shortage.
The youngest person to speak in the room was born-and-raised Yukoner Anna Crawford. She said she has recently returned from university, and come September, won’t have anywhere to live.
“I have more security if I go into the bush to work in exploration,” said Crawford. “Here I am constantly on edge as to where I’m going to be staying. I’m even considering becoming a student again at the college so I can get a dorm there.”
Crawford’s solution was for Yukoners to think outside of their own situation.
“The majority of us are very well-off,” she said. “Most of us make so much money, we lose touch. We forget that a lot of people are making $12 an hour. We wonder why they can’t afford to buy food.”
After almost 90 minutes of discussion, Whitehorse resident Tracey Wallace spoke up at the front of the room.
She said she liked everyone’s ideas, but had no idea where to go from here.
“I don’t know as an individual, apart from walking into a government office and speaking to someone in government, exactly what I can do,” said Wallace. “I feel completely powerless. I have no idea what to say that will make them change their mind.”
Wallace asked Hanson whether everyone should walk into the government offices individually and “demand accountability,” or if residents should go as a group.
“Maybe we should have a letter-writing campaign?” she asked.
Both Hanson and Opposition Leader Arthur Mitchell urged Wallace and other Yukoners to carry out all three actions.
“Liz, myself and people on the second floor are public servants, whether we are in government or opposition,” said Mitchell
“Everyone in this room has every right to go to any MLA or cabinet minister and say, ‘Look, you have to do something about this.’”
Mitchell conceded the housing crisis won’t be solved overnight, no matter how quickly Yukoners work at it.
But a quote from famed scientist Albert Einstein, coincidentally repeated by two forum participants throughout the night, pointed in the direction Yukoners are hungry for change to pursue. Thomas was one of them.
“What was that that Einstein said again?” asked Thomas. “That insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”
bobby bitman
Jul 19, 2011 at 3:27 pm
Looks like Darrel Pasloski is following his leaders, the old crew at the Yukon Party who snub every opportunity to listen to people. (Unless they are party insiders or from the mining industry - my impression and for reasons that I won’t waste space on right now.) Too bad. I thought Darrel, whoops, I mean ‘Premier Pasloski’ (don’t want to have him feel he is one of us - the great unwashed), might be a refreshing change from Mr. Fentie.
Liz told the crowd last night that the Yukon Party elected representatives have literally pulled down the shades on their windows that are facing the tent city. I am actually starting to find the behaviour of our governing party to be obnoxious. That is just pure childishness.
Now, after a couple of years of meetings and reports, the Yukon Party wants to hire ‘consultants’ to look at the issue of housing. Better be their own ‘consultants’ because what I heard last night is that the Yukon Party itself has failed miserably at keeping up on the lot supply in this town, and has totally failed at auditing and controlling Yukon Housing, which has had 30 empty units ‘having work done to them’ for over a year.
Then there is the old residence on the Hospital Road, which according to someone at the meeting, may well be in use right now as vacation home for certain lucky folks who sometimes work in the Yukon. All this needs to be looked into! And now! But I really doubt that’s going to be the focus for the YP ‘consultants’.
Whatever comes about, if there is any action the Yukon Party make sure it is their own plan. They do not care to hear from the public, or from elected reps from other parties. You are ‘in’ or you are ‘out’. Pathetic. Mr. Pasloski, I am dissappointed. Would have been nice to see you rise above petty politics, and show up last night. It was a broad based community meeting, no matter who organized it.