Canada Politics47 six-figure earners living in subsidized housing in Calgary: taxpayer watchdog
It's hard not to get cynical as a taxpayer, isn't it?
Over the past few weeks, we've been barraged with stories about some level of government screwing-up royally when it comes to their responsibility as stewards of the public purse.
Well, here's another one.
According to the documents obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, there are over 1,200 tenants — making between $50,000 and $172,000 — living in subsidized housing in Calgary.
Using documents obtained through Freedom of Information (FOI), the CTF discovered 18 tenants making between $120,000 and $172,000, 47 tenants making between $100,000 and $172,000, 123 tenants making between $80,000 and $172,000, and 1,208 tenants making between $50,000 and $172,000.
"People with enough money to support themselves shouldn’t be the beneficiaries of taxpayer subsidized housing," said CTF Alberta Director Derek Fildebrandt. "Taxpayers pay good money to help house the poor and this money is clearly going to people who don’t need or deserve it."
The Calgary Housing Company, which is owned by the City of Calgary, explained that some of the high income earners lived in subsidized housing because they were grandfathered in. In other words, they lived in their units prior to income testing and can't be removed because they have "periodic leases" and are protected by the provincial Landlord and Tenancy Act.
As a result we have high income individuals paying below-market rents at the teat of the taxpayer — many of them have lived there over 5 years.
[ Related: Tory MP Eve Adams defends herself for claiming beauty products as election expenses ]
Calgary isn't the only Alberta community with the wealthy living in subsidized housing.
In April, the CTF reported similar statistics for government funding housing in Northern Alberta.
At the time, the Filderbrandt asked the province to do a full audit of their
Alberta Municipal Affairs Minister Doug Griffiths said social-housing agencies should do their own audits.
"Now everyone who’s involved with social housing and every local authority around the province should be looking internally at the way they operate so we can fix this," Griffiths told the Canadian Press.
“It will mean every housing authority from Calgary to Cold Lake and Fort McMurray to Fort Macleod will say: ‘Hmmm. Let’s check and evaluate our strategy here. Maybe we have properties we don’t need.’ "
[ Related: Watchdog says six-figure income earners are living in Alberta subsidized housing ]
Maybe it's time for that audit?
Couldn't some of those homes or taxpayer dollars be put to better use?
How about allocating some of that money to the 3,500 people and families in Calgary who sleep in shelters, parks or on the streets? Or to the 14,000 renters who, according to the Calgary Homeless Foundation, are at risk of becoming homeless.
The CTF has put in Freedom of Information requests for housing authorities in other parts of Alberta. Unfortunately, this story is to be continued.
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