04/07/2020
ATTENTION!
Rachel Notley Justin Trudeau Jason Kenney
1) We demand a benefits scheme of monthly rent subsidies from the provincial government, the federal government, or an alternating combination of both, until the crisis is over. This means making continuous financial help available for anybody who requires it. This in turn means that ideologies about pulling oneself up by the bootstraps, which shame the unemployed are not used insidiously in writing eligibility criteria, as per the Alberta Emergency Isolation Support Benefit, federal Employment Insurance, and the CERB benefit. Many people, including students, those out of work for health or other reasons, those out of work before the pandemic, and those who were unable to find work amid an already stagnant provincial economy, have been ignored by the aforementioned response plans, exposing how both the provincial and federal governments view their place in society. This cannot be tolerated.
2) If (1) won't be met, we demand substantial relief from landlords to the tune of a 50% reduction in rental expenses, until the crisis is over, and we demand that this is enforced by the province. Landlords cannot demand money that isn't there, or won't be there for people to use to eat, should they be forced to use it for rent. However, we hope it doesn't come to this, and that the political bodies in question will free-up funds for struggling tenants, or establish a fund for landlords to offer relief measures, because this constitutes the fairest possible outcome for all involved.
3) We demand that evictions be prohibited for any reason until the crisis is over. This isn't the time to add to a homeless population that is already unacceptably large and growing exponentially.
4) Implement these changes across the province of Alberta.
If these terms are not met we will be forced to withhold rents and will likewise refuse to abandon our homes, as it is our only protection from the pandemic. Moreover, if you, or our landlords escalate, we will be forced to escalate, and you will have more than one state of emergency on your hands, and a political record on the wrong side of history.
We demand compassion.
Key things to remember:
A) Striking on May 1 is a last resort.
B) It's far better for everyone if the government steps in here
C) If you're renting from a small landlord, it is almost certainly best to negotiate. Big property corporations are another matter.
