JMJ
Sept.25.2017
I do not know if there is a need for 40,000 more houses on reserves and in northern communities. But I do know there will always be a shortage of houses as long as housing is free. I do know there will always be vandalism including arson as long as people do not own their home and there is no accountability. We have had plenty of housing come and go in the North but we don’t have homes.
According to Sask Housing stats the average time a person lives in a public housing unit is 18 .months. According to my observations there are few houses older than thirty years that are in a livable condition. Contrast that with areas where there is home ownership and a market economy. Often the house increases in value the older it gets. In a young province there are houses older than the province, that is past 112 years.
Why the difference ? Housing is a reward for “good behaviour.” Good behaviour is defined as doing what the Higher Ups want you to do .Acceptable behaviour : doing drugs. including and especially marijuana. Never complain about shoddy material and workmanship.
Do not express your views on anthing unless it happens to be what the higher ups want to hear. Shack- up. This increases your chance of being assigned a house. Have the house in your girlfriend’s name. Do not go to work. If you do, don’t work steadily or too enthusiastically because you may lose the house and be punished financially. Above all vote NDP or if the bosses say so vote Liberal. NEVER vote Conservative.
In a community with plenty of empty houses we were assigned an abandoned house. We immediately began asking to buy the house. We did this for ten years. They kept telling us to move and move out of the North . We were not behaving. We established a school for our children and others. We did not respect the unconstitutional monopoly that Northern Lights School Division enjoyed. We still don’t . Our school continues and the harassment continues.
We were told that we could buy the house for $20,000. We used the last of my MLA pension and wrote a cheque for $20,000. It was returned to us . I used the money to pay bills of the past that had been written off . We continued to ask to buy the house.. They took thug steps to kick us out. My husband became a great locksmith as we and they changed the locks five times. The fight became an international incident. We won, thanks to our helpers including local people who made sure we got water and some lighting after La Ronge Housing cut off the electricity and the water supply.
Now there are actual for sale signs on two public housing units. Listed price $25,000 and $50,000. We congratulate those people in our commnity who built their own homes and who can work as hard as they want. Public housing kills initiative, and is anti- marriage. We do not need 40,000 public housing units . We may need 40,000 homes built by sweat equity, and other means to ensure home ownership and home pride. Gay
