Close X
Friday, November 8, 2024
ADVT 
National

Housing Affordability In Calgary An Issue For Refugees Arriving In City: Naheed Nenshi

The Canadian Press, 02 Dec, 2015 11:59 AM
    Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi says there are more than enough rental spaces for Syrian refugees arriving in the city, but help from the private sector is needed to make sure those units are affordable.
     
    Nenshi says there is already a long wait list in Calgary for social housing, so the 1,300 expected refugees will need other options until they get their feet under them.
     
    He says there's a vacancy rate of about five per cent — or 2,500 units — in a city that has been hit hard economically by the downturn in crude prices.
     
    But he says rents are still too high for many refugees — at least until they can line up good jobs and get their English skills up to speed.
     
    Two Calgary real estate firms — Mainstreet Equity and Boardwalk REIT — are chipping in.
     
    Mainstreet CEO Bob Dhillon said his firm is setting aside a minimum of 200 apartments for refugees, either free for the first 90 days or at a discount for a year, while Boardwalk's David McIlveen says his company is setting aside 350 units at a $150-a-month discount.
     
    "These two gentlemen and their companies are what you might call Canadians with thick wallets and big hearts," Immigration, Citizenship and Refugees Minister John McCallum told reporters after discussing Canada's refugee response with Calgary stakeholders.
     
    "I'm hoping they are the tip of the iceberg and their example will induce others to come forward with similar contributions so that we can welcome refugees, not just with a smile, but with a roof over their heads and all of the other things that they need to begin their lives in Canada."
     
    Nenshi said he recently met a refugee family of four who found a house to rent for $1,100 a month. While that's not bad by Calgary standards, it's not tenable when the family's monthly income is currently $1,500.
     
    "The guy's a mechanical engineer, so he's going to be fine once they get their English-language skills in place," said Nenshi.
     
    "So we cannot afford to have people lose their opportunity to be great Canadians over a few hundred dollars a month. We can't lose the game at the end over a few inches."

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Nova Scotia Community Grieving After Teacher, Two Young Students Die In Highway 104 Car Crash

    Nova Scotia Community Grieving After Teacher, Two Young Students Die In Highway 104 Car Crash
    Ford Rice of the Port Hastings-based Strait Regional School Board says many people have been affected by the deaths of the 26-year-old woman and two girls, ages 12 and 13.

    Nova Scotia Community Grieving After Teacher, Two Young Students Die In Highway 104 Car Crash

    OPP Launches Mental Health Strategy To Help Officers And The Community

    OPP Launches Mental Health Strategy To Help Officers And The Community
    VAUGHAN, Ont. — Ontario Provincial Police have introduced a mental health strategy aimed at helping officers deal with their own mental health as well as those they deal with on the job.

    OPP Launches Mental Health Strategy To Help Officers And The Community

    Greg Boswell, Scottish Climber Lives To Tell Tale Of Attack By Grizzly In The Canadian Rockies

    Greg Boswell, Scottish Climber Lives To Tell Tale Of Attack By Grizzly In The Canadian Rockies
    TORONTO — A Scottish man says he's recovering after being attacked by a grizzly bear while climbing in the Rocky Mountains. On his Facebook page, Greg Boswell says he's "OK, just a little shook up and sore."

    Greg Boswell, Scottish Climber Lives To Tell Tale Of Attack By Grizzly In The Canadian Rockies

    Canadians Borrowing More, But Delinquency Rate Lowest In More Than Six Years

    Canadians Borrowing More, But Delinquency Rate Lowest In More Than Six Years
    OTTAWA — Canadians in oil-producing provinces are having a harder time paying their bills, even as the national delinquency rate improves to its lowest level in more than six years.

    Canadians Borrowing More, But Delinquency Rate Lowest In More Than Six Years

    Complaints For Wireless Down For First Time While Internet Issues Rise: Watchdog

    Complaints For Wireless Down For First Time While Internet Issues Rise: Watchdog
    TORONTO — Canadians had fewer official complaints about their wireless communication services but more concerns about their Internet plans, according to the latest report from the telecom industry's consumer watchdog.

    Complaints For Wireless Down For First Time While Internet Issues Rise: Watchdog

    Former Calgary Hospital Worker Charged With Accessing Information On 240 People

    Former Calgary Hospital Worker Charged With Accessing Information On 240 People
    EDMONTON — A former Calgary hospital worker is facing 26 counts of accessing the health information of more than 200 people.

    Former Calgary Hospital Worker Charged With Accessing Information On 240 People

    PrevNext