I)
|

Tent:

that tntemapintee-epr nae made inn oc do asks fai

“TERRACE — Council must do
; More to-provide rental housing
"if it wants the city to'become the
: ROtthwest's service and supply.
_ Gentre, says chamber. of com-
: merce President. Doug Smith.

And that means having coup-
‘ai re-consider its denial of three
-Tecént rezoning applications to
«building rental accommodation,
 he'said,:

PS We: have, and the city has

also, been. spending a: lot. of
~ money promoting Terrace has a
- service and supply centre. To be
* effective in stimulating growth
you! ‘also need places for people
to live, Smith said.

4 Then: ‘when you have three

TERRACE —A good chunk of’
> Janet Holden’s income goes
‘toward: paying $500 a month in

With a. part time job and

* social. assistance providing

- $1;300.a month, it doesn’t leave
the single: "mother of three very
much left over.

And: that leads her to say

- there should be more affordable

housing in the city for people
with low incomes.

“It’s not just single parents
-who-are having trouble. There
should be something for all low
income people. You find
couples who are barely making
it as well. There are a lot of peo-
ple. out there like that,’ she
says.

Halden said either the Muks-

Kum Ol Society, set-up to pro- -

vide housing for natives, should
expand to include other groups
or the provincial or federal
government should establish a
similar society.

“7 can’ see where natives
should be helped and so on, but
what. about those who aren’t

-fatives? We're low income as

well,”’ she said.

“'Muks-Kum Ol can help a.
certain~-group; of people, “bute
why can't they help 5; or why
can’t the government see there
is a need for low income peo-
ple?” Holden continued.

As it is, Holden has had to
take in a- boarder to help meet
her payments.

- There’s also another problem
facing Holden in that the unit
she's living in is up for sale. If
that happens, she'll have to
move...

“There's nothing available, I
need a three-bedroom place.
Most of those are over $500 a
month but I have to stick in the
$500 range or [ won't be able to

No room,
no stay —

TERRACE —
business ran into a problem it
didn’t expect when it hired two
people from out.of town.

There was no rental housing
available.

The result-is one fiving apart
from his: daughter while the
other had to quit and move
back.

“You're sort of aware of the
problem on the periphery but
you have no idea how serious it
is‘until you become involved. It
was: really surprising,’ says
Gregg Townsend of. Northwest
Consolidated Supply in recall-
ing what happened,

The: one employee still here
spent:. three “weeks . living . at
Townsend's house until a place
was found. .

“TE tried. everything — mostly
personal ‘contacts, phoning peo-
ple I know from.the business
and from the chamber (of com-
merce),””. said Townsend.

: “He did find a place but it’s
‘temporary — he’s still living
apart. from his daughter;"*
“Townsend continued,

weeks in’a motel: ‘and finally

moved" ‘back’ :to:" Vancouver -

because he couldn't find a place
‘for his family,

". “Townsend called the situation
* frustrating, especially when he
“spent:a lot of effort finding the
"Baht people for’ the jobs he had
opens ri 2

“And. now the city has turned

“down, three zoning applications,

= “If we'want'to the centre for the .
5 we have to rhe

amber

-tinual phone calls.---

One local.

applications defeated, we find
that a bit of a problem," he
continued.

’ Smith's comments, followed a
motion passed unanimously by
the chamber execitive. last week
in which it. asked council to
reconsider’ the three denials.

He finds ‘couhtil’s position
ironic given that 4¢ has just had

_ printed a-brochure meant to

outline-the amenities and attrac-

-- tiveness of the-area and the city

asa good place to lives

. “Tf you want the city open to
growth and want investment —
one of the initial factors is miss-
ing and that’s housing,” Smith
said,

Low income
‘need cited -

pay hydra and .the other bills,
Something will - hiave to zive
some place’? she said.

If the unit is sold, it won't be
the first time Holden has faced
housing problems.

After giving notice in the
place she lived before, Holden
was one day away from moving
out before she found the
townhouse in which ‘she is now
renting, ;

kikkik-

The Muks-Kum Ol Housing
Society was formed to provide
subsidized housing to natives
under a federally-financed ur-
ban native housing program.

As such, its activities are
restricted to natives but it has
thought about developing hous-
ing projects for other people,
says society consultant. Danny
Sheridan.

“There’s never been a group
formed in Terrace to go and do
something about (non-native
housing), Muks-Kum Ol was
formed for programs specific to
native people,” he said.

And although Muks-Kum Ol
has never kept track of the de-
mand for housing in the city,
Sheridan said it receives a con-

**We know there are people in
fairly desperate situations —
either they don’t havea place to
live or they are in unsatisfactory
conditions,” he said.

Yel Muks-Kum O1 has signed
on with a program to provide
rental subsidies to people other
than natives.

It’s provided by the provin-
cial government's B.C, Housing

_Management Commission and

through Muks-Kum Ol provides
subsidies to eight people with
handicaps or to those on low in-
comes,

Can't

TERRACE — People are buy-
ing homes bdecause they can’t
find a place to rent, says a local
real estate agent who is also the
president of the Northwest Real
Estate Board. so

And says Remax agent. Gor-
die Sheridan, that factor is par-
tially responsible for an upward

"trend in the selling price of area

homes.

“I know that last winter peo-
ple who couldn’t find a place to
rent bought mobile homes with
the idea of looking around in
the spring,” said Sheridan.

“Those sales in the mobile
home area are a direct result of

the rental situation,” he con-.

tinued,

While buying as opposed to
renting may not. have been what
those people wanted, they are
now in the position of building

equity in'a home’as opposed to.

‘renting, Sheridan added. :
In: some “oases, ‘mortgare

“We have a problem and it’s
a problem the city is going to
have to address and address ap-
propriately.”

“People are willing to build
{rental housing) and they've

‘looked at the demand, The de-

mand is there and they’re being
turned away,’’ he said,
: Smith said the chamber also
wants council members to con-
sider more than just the
neighbours when a rezoning ap-
plication comes up. ;
“Those speaking to a re-
zoning application are a fairly
small group. We're not saying
they shouldn’t be heard. They
should be taken into account,
but counci] must not make a

SINGLE MOTHER Janet Holden finds it difficult to pay rent and raise a family with a low income. She

its | at Zoning votes _

decision only on a smaller

aroup,”’ he said.

“Council must also look at
the community as a whole and
what is benefecial to the com-
munity. We're concerned coun-
cil isn’t looking at the big pic-
ture,”’ Smith continued.

He said the chamber may
make a submission as-part of

. the city’s effort ta come up with

a new official community plan
that'll outline zoning:

“We seem to be working at
Opposite ends of the stick. On
the one hand we want to attract
investment and growth to in-
crease the tax base, On the other
people need a place to say,"
said Smith,

Ser a a rae ep eT poles EA ET a SRM UTES Ce GSE. A ek Re ot Freee dete

Terrace Standard, Wenesday, JUNE 5, 1981

_ LETTERS ©

' TO THE TERRACE STANDARD

pee ciel ge ii ee fee pce agony
ic ne area r

— Page AS

says there shouid be more affordable housing for people on tow income. Pictured with her are two of
her children, Willie and Pamela, and Foxy, the family dog.

rent? Buy a house

payments are close to what peo-
ple would be paying in rent.
Those people also benefit
from recent lower interest rates
and some can take advantage of
a’ provincial program which
lowers down payments..
_ But the expected by-product
— more rental housing because

people are buying — hasn’t-

materialized.

“You should have more ren-
tal housing — especially. with
the lowest interest rates we've
had in years,”’ said Sheridan in

‘ pointing out that the rental

housing ‘crisis here is probably
greater than people realize.

“‘What would happen if the
rates were to rise? You would
have less people who would
qualify. You would have more

demand for rental housing. If
-there’s 4 problem right now, it

would be. more e extreme,” he
said,

Sheridan’s also seen the ef-
fects of the tight rental market
in other areas — the Muks
Kum-Ol Housing Society's
single home, apartment and
town house housing projects
and the Twin River Estates
senior citizen housing project,

While they’ve brought a lot
of new housing to the city in the
past three years, the accom-
modation those people left has
been absorbed.

‘You can imagine what it
would be like without those pro-
grams,”' said Sheridan.

He added the situation might
be even worse if the city should
ever enforce by-laws which
don’t permit suites in homes in
certain zoning areas.

“Those suites are either il-
legal or were in existence and
became non-conforming,’* said
Sheridan,

“*Given the situation, it

ae.
Gordie Sheridan

would be hard to go to the city
and say something should be
done about it,’ he said.

Only three vacancies in April

TERRACE — It only takes
three families to be looking for
a place io rent in Terrace and:
demand will exceed supply... -

That is what the results of the

Canadian Mortgage and Hous-._
ing. Corporation's (CMHC) .

April survey of the local rental -
market, show, says one of ts
market analysts.

Pip White said the 0.3 ‘per
cent vacancy rate reported. by...

trend i in the north, White said

_ Of Terrace’s déclining vacancy

‘Fate, Prince George's figure had
‘doubled to 3.8 per cent over the
‘same period.

-, ‘It seems Terrace has

escaped any significant impact
from the recession,’” he said.
While .it was difficult to deter-
.. nalte exactly why that should
’ ‘be, Mining: activity further

“north” could ; be. factor given -

‘CMHC translates to just’ two” “the: stuation’ in: Smithers was

rental units being available. °~
And that's two less than Jast

“similiar to Tertace. and both

forthe were: service cen

situation to be any better when
the latest figures are completed
ina few weeks. .

No new rental accommoda-
tion has been built in the city so
far this year and none is under
construction,

The good news is those peo-
ple able to find a place will find”

fairly reasonable Prices being
charged.
Noting rents had risen bet-

‘ween. five and eight per cent

over ihe past. year, White said

that was in line ‘with inflation we
> driven cast Increases far.
: landlords, eer

The results: of the CMHC
survey show the two units
available. for rent at that time
were both apartments — a one-

bedroom and a two-bedroom.

Anyone looking for a row
house, bachelor suite or three

bedroom apartment was out of

luck.

Average monthly rents here
were $424 for a two-bedroom
tow house and $441 for a three-
bedroom.

Bachelor: suites cost $339 a.

month, “one-bedroom apart-

ments: $403, a two-bedroom
: hid and a three-bedroom $524.

Home come}

pro-life
always
gets ink?

Dear Sir:

Re: ‘‘Locals Form Life
Chain’’
photograph of peopie

holding ‘Abortion Kills}
Children” sign, May 22.

Why are-you always siding
and putting pictures like the
one in May 22.paper, Why

don’t you build the other side

up once in a while.. ° .
These people like ta be on
TV and in the paper, ranting
and raving about abortion,
We don’t see any rush to

look after the children. who F

are not aborted! Poor kids
wih no one, abandoned —

neglected etc. because of 7

people like the Pro-Life.

They are ignorant, self-
righteous and unloving peo-
ple. Wanting babies in a
world where no one wants
them.

And who pays when they
g0 into homes or whatever.
Not them. Some people who
can’t afford looking after
themselves end up paying for
the unwanted kids.

We love kids, that is why
we don’t want them coming
into a-world where they are
only named little bastards
and are treated like garbage.

Wise up you bunch of
hypocrites. So why don’t
those who don’t have an
abortion pile the kids onto all
you pro-lifers to keep,

All you want is your stupid
face on a TV or in a paper, In
your hearts you really don't
give a damn.

Adriane Stewart,
Smithers, B.C.

Actions
called
twisted.

Dear Sir:

The immigration: process
in Canada, from almost all
sources in in disarray, is
cumbersome, and is moving
at a snail’s pace.

] suppose, the procedures,
red-tape, etc., are all part
and parcel. of the system and
policies of whichever country
one wishes or is allowed, to
enter,

The principle being, of
course, is the coming into
and the settling in, of a
foreign nation, according to
its requirements, laws, etc.

Immigration is very
laudable, condusive to a free
and caring’ society such as
Canada. One only has to
look at the plight and suffer-
ing of refugees in various
parts of the world.

This having been said, I
cannot find enough words to
express my total disgust and
disillusionment towards the
recent, announcement and
questionable landed im-
migrant status of the former
Iraqi ambassador to the US,
Mr. Muhammid Al-Mashat,
here in Canada,

There seems to be
something twisted and
distorted in the actions and
philosophy of certain of our
civil servants and politicians
in that this man has been,
and was, in part, directly

responsible for the conflict.

re: the Iraqi invasion of
Kuwait and resultant conse-
quences.

LT can very well envision:

cont'd A6
Dear
Rob L.

Dear Rob L:

Thank you for your recent
letter regarding the
bodybuilding story which ap-
peared in our issue of May
22,

Your comments on
bodybuilding and steriod use
were interesting.

But because you signed the
letter with only your first
hame and the: first letter of
your last name, it can’t be
printed.

If you wish your letter
printed, your full signature is.

needed,
- Rod Link,
Editor.

story and the}