On May 13, Roly Russell, MLA for Boundary/South Okanagan/Similkameen and Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Development joined Malachy Tohill, Regional Director for BC Housing for a discussion on BC Housing in Tumbler Ridge. Says Russell: “I have the opportunity and privilege to get out to rural communities and hear what their needs are, then help translate that back to the people in Victoria,” says Russell. “I work with those people to help make sense of what’s happening on the ground in places like here in Tumbler Ridge.”
He says the BC Government created a new Ministry of Housing in November of last year. “We recognize how fundamentally important housing is to all people across BC,” he says. “It’s a challenge here in Tumbler Ridge, it’s a challenge where I live in Grand Forks. It’s a challenge in every community in BC, including in the large metro areas. But in the small rural communities, the challenges are very different. We’re not just small versions of Vancouver, nor do we want to be. That comes with a unique challenge.”
He says the trio are there to hear what those unique challenges are in Tumbler Ridge. “We can then echo those challenges back to Victoria, issues that are unique that maybe BC Housing hasn’t heard.”
Tohill says BC Housing has two properties in Tumbler Ridge. The first is a series of condos down on Chamberlain Place. “We wanted to take those places down three years ago, but then Covid hit, as well as other issues. We are going to get them down; I hear the importance of getting that done. I understand the safety issues around them, with kids breaking windows and all that. The last thing we want is to have them looking like a bunch of slum houses.”
They don’t look like slum houses to me,” cries someone from the audience. “They look like great houses.”
Tohill says they might appear okay on the outside, but they have major problems. “They certainly aren’t worth putting the money into.”
Some in the crowd disagree with his assessment on the state of those buildings, asking repeatedly to see the proof that the condos are not fit to live in. Tohill says there’s black mould, broken windows, water damage and foundation issues, and when they evaluated the spaces three years ago, it was decided that it was better to bring them down as opposed to fix them up.
The other property is Hartford Court, which are single level housing designed for seniors with mobility issues, but which have opened up for other people with housing needs over the last few years. Tohill says there are still two vacancies available at Hartford Court, as well as having brochures for two other programs that can help provide affordable housing in another way.
Mayor Krakowka says that council is interested in learning what the needs are. “It’s not about just ripping down and leaving a space down there, it’s about finding out the needs of our community, finding out what kind of housing we need down there, so that BC Housing will come back and build what we need, whether it’s condo style, or one level like Hartford Court.”
During a wide ranging and sometime off-topic discussion, that lasts well over an hour, a variety of issues are raised, from caring in home for special needs children, to the need for low-cost housing for young people as well as seniors, to objections to tearing down the Chamberlain buildings and beyond.
One of the most common issues, though, was the state of disrepair Hartford Court is falling into and the lack of care being put into maintenance.
One of the residents, Sue Hammond, who has been living in Hartford Court for the past seven years says she loves the space. “It’s great for seniors with disabilities or anybody with a disability. And I would encourage more units like that that are self-contained with washers and dryers and walk-in showers. They’re awesome.”
But, she says, she is concerned about the lack of maintenance. “They are starting to fall down around us,” she says. “Windows need to be changed. The dividers out back between our residents are getting wobbly. There are things that need to be done, and if they’re not done soon, then you’re going to be looking for 12 other places for the people that live there.”
But the most powerful comment of the day comes from Hans Fisher. He says his rent has gone up two hundred and thirty two percent. “As of June 1, I will be paying over a thousand dollars for that apartment. Last year was six hundred and fifty two dollars. That’s affordable, but because my wife winds up being on a pension this year, we are now being penalized. You’re also penalized if you have more than ten thousand dollars in your bank. If you do, you have to pay higher rent.”
He passes on a series of pictures to Russell. “That is from January of 2020,” says Fisher. “That is frost on the inside of our building in our bedroom. There is a gap of a half inch on the door when it gets minus 40 letting in cold air. It costs $5000 a year for Hydro. We’re putting on sweatpants just to keep our costs down.”
Mayor Krakowka says this is the first Council has heard about these issues. He says he is concerned about the lack of maintenance.
Tohill agrees. “I’m gonna take that back and certainly look into that, because that is not the way we operate. I’ve hired three in Fort St. John. That is not acceptable to me and I’m the guy those reports need to come to. So I’m sorry I’m hearing about these things today, but I just want to say I’m hearing what you’re saying loud and clear and I apologize to that because that’s wrong and that’s not what we do at BC Housing.”
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.
