Dear Editor
Housing is so lovely! No Smoking signs all around the front door.
I guess they found some cigarette butts on the sidewalk in front of the main doors to our building. This led them to take the chairs away from the non-smoking area by the front door. They must be thinking – or hoping – that will stop the smoking; think again. The smokers have no problem standing to smoke.
Taking the chairs away from the non-smokers won’t stop the smokers from smoking but now there’s nowhere for the non-smokers to sit and enjoy the sun and fresh air. Figure that one out.
We are lucky management here is not in charge of enforcing speed limits in the city. Using their logic, they would surely decide to close all the streets to everyone just to stop the speeders.
The Housing Authority has continued to show their inability or unwillingness to honour their own lease agreement.
Tenants have been left with no choice but to write letters, talk with the media and take legal action through the Office of Residential Tenancies if they want their rights respected.
After a long winter of isolation, masking and social distances we all looked forward to getting outside to get some fresh air and sun and to visit with our friends. Housing management has taken that away from us too.
They say depression, loneliness, drug and alcohol abuse, suicide and anti-social behavior have all skyrocketed during this pandemic. Is it any wonder when everything good about our life is being taken away from us by the people who claim to care about us? Talk is cheap!
It looks like the Office of Residential Tenancies is going to be a busy place for some time. Good luck to everyone who stands up for their rights and takes their grievances to the Office of Residential Tenancies. It seems that is the only route that gets any action. That and the media.
By the way, it’s only the Valley View Tower II non-smoking chairs that have been removed. All other Housing Authority tenants still get to sit outside and visit with their friends.
Maybe we just protest too much?
Maxine Finch, Tenant
Valley View Tower II
