Don’t blame the landlords

Re: It isn’t too much to expect homeowners to shovel sidewalks — June 28

The sweeping generalization that landlords in Kitchener are a reason that city council is putting money into a sidewalk clearing plan is uninformed, unfair and adds to the further demonization of landlords big and small.

The expectations for clearing sidewalks are clearly articulated through the City of Kitchener website, print materials and existing enforcement contact numbers. With hopes of keeping rents manageable, many tenants assume responsibility through their leases for clearing snow and ice from sidewalks.

I urge citizens, if concerned about a sidewalk that impacts their mobility (or that of their neighbours), they use the mechanisms that currently exist to address them. By using the services that presently exist, enforcement works and the cost of an investigation and potential duplication of services vanishes.

Most landlords and tenants are great people and community members who are quite willing to contribute to the larger group with hopes of making life easier for everyone. Targeting landlords as the cause of unclear, snowy sidewalks is lazy and hurts people.

The City of Waterloo introduced rental licensing as a solution to neighbours and councillors who strongly disliked student housing; uncut lawns and snowy sidewalks were among the reasons cited. Rather than using existing bylaws and municipal policy, Waterloo created a new policy and mechanism, duplicating existing services and downloading a cost to small landlords and subsequently to tenants, raising rents up by $70 a month or more. It is important to note that larger rental buildings were exempt from licensing based on the assumption that bigger is better.

With affordable housing being included in political platforms at each level of government, I respectfully ask Kitchener city councillors to continue to consider that when tax dollars are spent, everyone pays. Together and by using existing enforcement as a helping hand to our neighbours, we can save tax dollars and make the sidewalks in Kitchener accessible through harsh Canadian winters.

Andrew Macallum, President Waterloo Regional Apartment Management Association

Kitchener