The online uprising from St. Albert residents against Chris and Karleena Perry’s letter to the editor in Saturday’s paper should be proof to all of those across the region or country who see the city as an elitist suburb that we are nothing of the sort. Yet if we are an inclusive community for all people regardless of income, we have done very little to show it and more often than not have fed the stereotype instead of destroying it.
It wasn’t so much the Perrys’ letter in the Gazettethat made news but the reaction to it. More than 40 letters to the editor, blog links and countless tweets, as well as a flood of comments on the Gazette’s website have expressed disgust and disdain for the points of view the Perrys shared. But in many tweets, in many comments, the traces of the age-old portrait of our community as snobbish and wealthy were plainly apparent. People like the Perrys might be a tiny minority in our community, but their views feed what the rest of the region thinks about our city.
And what have we as a community done to fight back against that stereotype? Very little. We know we are an inclusive community and a very active one at that. We support individuals of lesser means where we can through our donations of time and money to the food bank and institutions like the St. Albert Senior Citizens’ Club, SAIF and Parents’ Place, all of which provide important services.
But when it comes to housing, our accomplishments are less significant. There are exactly four Habitat for Humanity homes in St. Albert. There is Liberton Terrace, the Heritage Hills Co-op and some basement suites available, but the pool of affordable housing is still pitifully small, even in the wake of the St. Albert Housing Society receiving money from the city to buy land for a housing project. The most recent attempt at building more on Arlington Drive has been delayed because of neighbourhood residents who don’t want to see an affordable housing complex in their backyard. Yes, there were density arguments that were valid and problems with the overall concept, but more than one individual has linked the development with increases in crime. Now we react with anger when one couple shares its opinion about “low-income housing” and the people they believe come with it, and we rail against that same affordable housing complex because we want our park. So if the rest of the world sees us an elitist suburb it is because we sometimes act the part.
Who will stand up, point to vacant land in their neighbourhood and say, ‘Build it here’? Who will tap the city’s pool for basement suite renovations to diversify the rental pool? This is our divide — not wealthy versus low-income, but what we want to see in our community versus what we don’t want to see in our backyards and we lack real leadership to change that. It is council’s job to listen to the people but it is also responsible for implementing what it feels the community needs. Administration makes sure it gets done. Following through takes intestinal fortitude, something that has been fleeting at city hall when it comes to affordable housing. It remains to be seen if that will be the case with Arlington Drive or any other proposals, especially those that are controversial in nature. If council takes ownership of the issue and drives it forward, the rest of the city will follow.
Alfred Nikolai of Habitat for Humanity Edmonton said it is easier to write a letter than to swing a hammer. The same could be said of changing how the rest of the world sees our community. If we truly believe we are an inclusive community where all are welcome, regardless of background or means, it is time to start swinging hammers. Let’s use this letter as a jumping-off point where we start to change our image through concrete action and support affordable housing in our neighbourhoods instead of in someone else’s.
