Secondary suites merit broader use

The Calgary Herald
Fri 20 Jul 2007
Page: A22
Section: The Editorial Page
Byline: Wayne Stewart
Source: For the Calgary Herald

The proposed Land Use Bylaw currently under consideration by city council restricts secondary suites to new neighbourhoods and areas where a new community plan makes allowance for the concept.

Council members tell us this is as far as the people of Calgary are prepared to go as evidenced by the calls to their offices against the spread of these 'frightening' things.

And yet, there is an underlying feeling that the majority of Calgarians, those who do not make regular calls to aldermanic offices, actually might be in favour of secondary suites as a way to accommodate the increasing number of citizens of our city who cannot find affordable housing.

At the same time, expansion of secondary suites to all R-1 (single family) areas of the city is supported by the Calgary Homeless Foundation, the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, the Calgary Committee to End Homelessness and even Calgary Housing, the city-owned provider of low-cost housing. The United Way of Calgary and Area also supports expansion of the concept.

We know between 40,000 and 60,000 such suites currently exist in Calgary, most operating for years without incident. This represents more than 40 per cent of the stock of rental housing in our city, without which our homeless problem would be greatly magnified.

With the generally positive experience with secondary suites and this level of support for the concept, what is the problem, you might ask? Perhaps the case for support has simply not been presented in a compelling manner.

Some might see the issue as a balance of rights that accrue from having bought a home in an R-1 area as against the needs of those who cannot afford homes. We have become a society where rights are considered fundamental and should win out in such an argument.

If we accept an obligation to help those in need, allowing secondary suites in our neighbourhoods follows. We simply do not have adequate rental housing in Calgary and each year there is less, as existing units are converted to condos and no new units are built.

At the same time, the number of people requiring housing grows as people come to Calgary for work. Future projections given our current approach suggest a crisis of unimaginable proportion.

New building, constrained as it is by availability of land and high cost of construction, will simply never be enough.

Lack of affordable housing is a critical problem now, and the face of those without homes is changing. More and more, we see families with children having no option but shelters and church basements.

The majority of those who currently face life in the shelter system are working, but at wage levels that do not allow for housing in our city. Students cannot find affordable housing and are opting to study elsewhere. Seniors often forgo other pleasures that should accrue from a lifetime of productive citizenship in order to afford housing.

We are in a crisis that demands a solution now. Not next year. Now.

Secondary suites are simply the most effective opportunity in the short term. They allow immediate expansion of affordable rental housing and can be a big help to seniors on fixed incomes.

Enabling secondary suites in new neighbourhoods alone will contribute very little to the affordable housing crisis. These areas have limited access to transit and other amenities that lower income people depend upon.

We contend that the Land Use Bylaw should be modified to allow secondary suites as a permitted use in all R-1 areas of Calgary, in owner-occupied homes. Further, the City should establish an amnesty period during which existing suites can be upgraded to meet standards.

Each of us can help make this a reality. We can encourage members of council who support the expansion of the concept. We can call those who only hear from the naysayers to express our support. We have a golden opportunity right now with the municipal election approaching.

The basic premise in our case for secondary suites is that those of us who have benefited from the abundance that is Alberta have an obligation to help meet the needs of those who have not benefited in equal measure.

If we care for those in need, if we feel an obligation to help, if we are concerned about the future of our city, we must act.

Wayne Stewart is president and CEO of the Calgary Homeless Foundation.