Dozens present varying opinions on secondary suites
Posted Feb 16, 2011 7:14 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Aldermen went late into the evening Wednesday, looking at a range of options to loosen the rules on the residences, in the hopes landlords will legalize them.
A committee meeting came to an end with no recommendations being made.
There are an estimated 50,000 illegal secondary suites in Calgary, many of which aren’t up to code and violate safety standards.
There are a range of opinions on the suites, some people say they don’t want to see overcrowding in suburbs. They argue R1 areas, ones with single family homes, shouldn’t be allowed to have the extra residences.
But others, like Ben Brunnen with the Chamber of Commerce say since many of these residences already exist, making it easier to legalize them will make it safer for tenants.
“Enabling these in all communities, because they already exist, will encourage people to come forward and legalize their existing suite,” he says.
He adds if there are more legal suites in Calgary, rent would most likely be cheaper.
“Legalizing these suites makes it easy for people to bring these legal and safe suites to market, ultimately increasing competition in the market,” he says.
Mare Donly, a board member with the Developmental Disabilities Resource Centre of Calgary says it’s important to get suites legalized and up to code, to make sure tenants are safe.
“When a person rents an illegal suite and they have physical disabilities or any other challenges, health issues and cognitive challenges, and a fire erupts, or something, that’s just unspeakably tragic. The safety is paramount,” she says.
Council will make their decision on the matter March 7th.
