Coronavirus crisis: for a national rent strike now!

Douglas Fir Premier wrote:

Who exactly do you imagine has been organizing these rent strikes? Some champagne socialists? That you would assume that the very people who have been working around the clock on this for the past week and a half are not the exact same people who have spent years organizing for tenants' rights, organizing against evictions, organizing for affordable housing, organizing for living wages, organizing for liveable social assistance rates, organizing for harm reduction and safe consumption sites shows just how divorced you are from any on the ground organizing.

Participate in the strike, or don't. Support it, or don't. That's entirely your call. But you're really talking out your ass here.

I didn't assume anything about "who they are". I don't care who they are . It's immaterial to what they are promoting now which is very bad for anyone who takes their advice which they might if they know evictions are not being permitted. 

All organizations need to adjust their message to the current emergency situation ensuring that what they are promoting won't harm people living in poverty. 

https://taxpage.com/articles-and-tips/de-taxers/freemen-on-the-land/

The murder of constable Daniel Woodall by a self styled Freeman on the Land is the latest tragedy by a member of one of the groups that tries to opt out of normal societal conventions and laws. In September 2013 Calgary police arrested Andreas Pirelli, another Freeman on the Land, who had claimed his rental property was an “embassy” and refused to pay rent or grant his landlord access to the property. One of the hallmarks of these movements is their refusal to comply with tax obligations.

While most Canadians will file their tax returns by April 30 every year and pay the taxes owing, some may be tempted not to file on the basis of schemes being marketed saying that Canadians don’t have to submit tax returns or pay taxes. This is wrong and will lead to heavy fines and to jail time.

Donald Baudais was sentenced in 2014 to pay fines equal to 100% of the income tax evaded, 100% of the GST tax evaded, and 6 months in jail, despite the fact that his spouse is suffering from the aftermath of brain cancer and chemotherapy, for counseling people not to pay taxes using the discredited and bogus Paradigm Educational Group teachings that "natural persons" do not have to pay income tax, a theory referred to as "nonsense" by the courts.

Calling it a rent "strike" makes no difference. It will still get you evicted the moment the ban is lifted. 

epaulo13 wrote:

..for years landlords have worked to remove rent controls and tenant rights. for years landlords have ruled the roost. many gouged and offered substandard housing. for years governments have backed away from their responsibility to create affordable housing..leaving it up to the markets. things have been stacked against tenants for as long as i've been politically aware. 

..this strike is about tenants surviving not landlord survival. in a time when governments are still bailing out oil and gas, for instance, after umpteen years of support subsidies.  

..we are not all in this together. power is still in power and continues to look to rigging the game. so no moral lectures please.

..one of the reason i objected to the lumping in of sean to what i describe is that it ignores the class issue which is very relevant to these times and to this pandemic. 

..a surge in austerity policy occurred after the 2007-08 economic global collapse. the reason for this surge answered the question of who was going to pay for that collapse. so while governments bailed out capital it was austerity for the masses.

..we have a similar situation today in relation to this crisis. the landlords will want to recover their losses after the pandemic. this is again a who of will pay for this crisis question. certainly lost wages will never be recovered yet tenants will be asked to make the landlords whole. 

..this must be..this will be resisted.  

..my step daughter pays $1300 a month for 450 sq ft. that's not evil that's capitalism. that's market forces.

epaulo13 wrote:

..my step daughter pays $1300 a month for 450 sq ft. that's not evil that's capitalism. that's market forces.

And what the government is offering with their package will cover the cost of her rent and then little else. For many people it is not a realistic or sustainable living allowance. If it were there would be no screams from so many for a rent freeze.

cco wrote:

Pondering wrote:

In any case my point is even if they are evil and the system is unfair anyone who doesn't pay their rent will be evicted i the summer and they will not have the sympathy of the general public who will say they should have paid their rent. A lease is a legal contract. 

In the end nobody is going to join your rent strike that isn't willing to risk their home. The damage is that it makes "the left" look ridiculous because society is not ready for the message you are sending. There are a ton of legitimate in the sense of attainable ways of forcing concrete changes. 

It's funny, isn't it, how "society" only seems to care about keeping the wealthy wealthy? It's simultaneously "unrealistic" for the working class to expect jobs that give them living wages, because of "market conditions" and the modern globalized world and so forth, but when those same market conditions make it impossible for tenants to pay landlords, it's "unrealistic" to expect those landlords to miss a single cheque. The wealth all concentrates at the top, and anything that threatens that is old-fashioned/discredited/unrealistic/communist/off-putting to the pearl-clutching suburban Liberal/Tory swing voter.

If millions of Canadians are facing bankruptcy, eviction, and the evaporation of whatever mediocre standard of living they've managed to scrape out, do you think their first priority will still be making sure their landlord can buy another building to jack up rental prices on? Maybe it will; I don't have a crystal ball. But the assumption that everyone's sympathies will be with the 1% as their lives crumble is just that – an assumption.

You don't read very well.  I said within that post "There are a ton of legitimate in the sense of attainable ways of forcing concrete changes." and started a thread with suggestions that would actually help people financially rather than getting them evicted to make some point about "the man".  

Also, this is about having a rent strike now, while cheques are in the mail, not at some future point in time. Canadians know those cheques are supposed to cover paying rent and most will do so. They will not sympathize with some people just deciding they don't want to use the money to pay rent. 

There is an alternative

Apparently there is an alternative. The events of the past few weeks make it obvious that the mantra of neoliberalism – the idea that there is no alternative to market rule – is not only a lie, but a lie that employers and investors show no shame in abandoning the moment their bottom lines are seriously threatened.

The coronavirus pandemic, while not the root of economic troubles, has triggered an unprecedented economic collapse. Economists are saying unemployment could rise to 30%. That’s higher than during the Great Depression. At the worst of the 2008-9 financial crash, GDP fell 4.5%. Last week a forecaster at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis said GDP could soon fall by 50%.

Amid the wreckage, whole industries beg for public money. Governments order businesses what to make in the public interest. Central banks fire up the money-printing machines, announcing there is no limit to what they’re willing to spend.

As the crisis exposes dirty secrets of capitalism normally hidden under the laws and rhetoric of business-as-usual, a window has been flung open through which it’s easier to see not simply the irrationality and brutality of capitalism, but the fact that market rule is not the only way to organize society.

The organized Left can play an important role in holding open that window, and interpreting what we see through it. By listening to people’s experience of the crisis, campaigning for concrete demands, and engaging in processes of collective learning, we can help clarify the nature of capitalism’s contradictions, and widen the political space necessary to achieve real alternatives......

From the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives...

Struggling homeowners not your typical landlord: The case for rent forgiveness

“Right now, I can either pay my rent or eat”: These Torontonians are keeping their rent on April 1

This is Crystal Stella Becerril, a tenant in Brooklyn, speaking to PIX News.

CRYSTAL STELLA BECERRIL: Asking them to reduce our rent by a minimum of 50%, beginning April 1st, so this Wednesday, with the possibility up to 100% rent reduction or forgiveness for those tenants who have completely lost all forms of income and won’t be able to pay. … We’re standing in solidarity with those who can’t, because we know that if three people in a building of 36 can’t pay rent, those people will be taken to court and be evicted. But if we stand in solidarity with them, the chances of that happening are reduced.

..no it's not a good question. it lacks detail. like when or even if people will receive the money. and how much will they receive. governments are full of promises that they don't follow through on or is never enough.

..it's a question that is full of assumptions without understand the reality of what people are living through.

epaulo13 wrote:

..no it's not a good question. it lacks detail. like when or even if people will receive the money. and how much will they receive. governments are full of promises that they don't follow through on or is never enough.

..it's a question that is full of assumptions without understand the reality of what people are living through.

Do you think the people who recieve the $2000 a month(cerb) benefit should pay rent?

Quote:

Apply for Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) with CRA. The CERB supports Canadians by providing urgently needed financial support to employed and self-employed Canadians who have been directly affected by COVID-19. It provides a payment of $2,000 for a 4 week period (equivalent to $500 a week) for up to 16 weeks.

Quote:

Once you apply, you can expect to get your payment in 3 business days if you have signed up for direct deposit, and approximately 10 business days if you haven’t signed up for direct deposit.

If your situation continues, you can re-apply for a payment for multiple 4-week periods, to a maximum of 16 weeks (4 periods).

Do you think someone who recieves the CERB benefit should use it towards paying their rent or still take part in the rent strike?

They could decide to empty the building, renovate and hike the rent or sell the building for condos or get a management company to rent it out as a Airb&b.

*If* someone hypothetically recieves $2000 a month (in 3 days from now) through the CERB benefit do you think part of that money should go towards paying said persons rent, or should they still take part in a rent strike and not give landlords a dime?

No games played here. I think it's a very relevent question to ask people who are supporting the strike.

People are being told they should strike because people don't have enough money to eat AND pay rent. The government is saying they're going to give people $2000 a month for 4 months to help them.

So it's a fair question to ask if said renters are getting $2000 a month from the government should that money be spent, at least in part, on rent? Or should they pocket the whole $2000 and not pay a dime of rent. I'm sure you can see how entitled it would make these strikers appear if it's a case of the latter.

epaulo13 wrote:

..that's where your playing a game. it's your way of discounting the strike. let's try and deal with reality.

It's a fair question.  Money is being given to people specifically so they can continue to pay their rent with the goal being to prevent evictions of low income workers.

You say "or not".  Given that you think they are terrible people (not saying you are wrong) why would they suddenly become generous and just forgive the rent? Toronto and Montreal are both very tight rental markets in part because apartments and condos are serving as Airbnbs because they make much more money for landlords. It's very difficult to evict people. Not paying rent is one of the few justifications they can use.

epaulo13 wrote:

..your winging it. your being judgemental. your being a conservative.

Here is a link to the CRA government website about the $2000 benefit.

https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/benefits/apply-for-cerb...

I remember you saying your daughter was choosing not to take part in the rent strike. Some of the information on this webpage may be valuable to her. People can start applying 6 April and it looks like it takes 3 days to process. The web page tells you who can apply and how they go about doing it. Have a good evening sir.

epaulo13 wrote:

..it's not a fair question because you don't know this will actually happen in the manner you say it will. the blame cycle always travels downward and your trying to create an imaginary line and relating it to the strike. the connection hasn't been made.

You know if you jump in the water you will get wet even if you aren't in it yet. The normal procedure is for landlords to evict tenants who do not pay their rent. There is no reason for them to become suddenly generous and say people don't have to pay their rent for X months when the government is giving people money to pay their rent.

Strong majority want government to halt rent, mortgage, and utility payments during COVID-19 crisis. - BCGEU

The results demonstrate people support new measures to protect them financially:

• 69 per cent of Canadians expect to lose some income due to the COVID-19 outbreak
• 72 per cent of Canadians think the Government of Canada should halt all rent, mortgage, and utility payments.
• 64 per cent think that banks and financial institutions should not be allowed to charge interest on mortgages deferred because of COVID-19

"This poll backs up what we've been saying for weeks: the federal government needs to act now and halt mortgage, rent and utility payments," says BCGEU president Stephanie Smith. 

"These results are a wake-up call for governments across Canada. No matter where they live, how old they are, how much money they make, or who they vote for -- people want the federal government to guarantee that they won’t lose their homes or be financially ruined because of the pandemic," notes North99 co-founder Geoff Sharpe.

“This crisis is hurting Canadians financially and many are scared of what could come next, especially with the lack of affordable housing across the country. While the federal government has introduced some welcome initiatives to ease the financial crisis for people, we need another bold step: we need a national housing plan for mortgage and rent relief to protect people from the economic fallout of COVID-19,” says Larry Brown, President of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE). 

The poll, conducted by Research Co., on behalf of NUPGE/BCGEU and North99 is the first poll on the subject the firm has compiled since the crisis began. 

Support for a halt to mortgage, rent and utility payments is consistently strong across traditional party, demographic and regional divides. This shows that a strong majority of Canadians are united in wanting the government of Canada to take action immediately.

“Public support for a measure that would stop all rent, mortgage, and utility payments because of the COVID-19 outbreak is high across the entire country, but especially in Alberta (79%), Ontario (73%) and British Columbia (72%). Two thirds of Canadians believe the federal government should follow the lead of other European countries and allow residents who are already dealing with the pandemic to eradicate these concerns at this time," says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co.....

You can get relief from paying rents and morgages and utilities or you can get income replacement. No government will provide both.

We don't need rent forgiveness we need reasonable rent and many more co-ops and subsidized housing.

Many people will not make their April rent because they will be waiting for their government cheques. Most landlords will have no problem with that. They will have a problem with people just deciding they don't need to pay rent.

Will this "strike" mean that people won't pay rent in May either?

..statement

VANCOUVER TENANTS UNION BC

RENTCRISIS.CA Be Safe. Just Stay. Even if you Cannot Pay.

#BCRentCrisis #FoodbeforeRent

The income support offered from different levels of government won’t come in time.

That leaves renters with a choice:

Fend for yourself OR reach out to neighbors going through the same thing. It’s up to us to support one another to get through this. Please don’t suffer alone.

Share your stories. Connect with neighbors. Learn more. Go to bcrentcrisis.ca if you want to safely organize your building under COVID-19. Download the Renter’s Toolkit and other resources to get started.

To meet basic necessities, we need:

• A moratorium on all rents. We won’t go into debt, risk our health or starve our families to pay the rent.

• A deferment of all mortgage payments without accruing interest. No bank should profit off of disaster while tenants pay the price.

• A cancellation of outstanding rents and evictions notices when the eviction moratorium is lifted. We will not bear the brunt of this crisis by losing our homes or wiping away our futures.

If governments won’t take adequate action then renters will.

The Vancouver Tenants Union is organizing buildings across Vancouver to help tenants survive and build their collective power during the BC Rent Crisis. Our Renter’s Toolkit and other resources will help explain your tenant rights, help you safely reach out to your neighbors, help flip the power relationship with your landlord and lobby government for real rent relief.

For members and tenants already talking to their neighbours and for those who want to start, we offer these tools and our support to take action that is right for you. Bring your neighbors online and start planning how to survive this crisis together.

Let’s build the kind of tenant power that can win the housing we all need.