Rent subsidy program under fire

TheAlberta government is being criticizedby the provincial Liberals and some renters for the way it's handling rental subsidies.

In early May, the province announced it would help anyone in the province who couldn't pay their rent. But Fred Bisschop of Calgary says he was told three times he didn't qualify for a subsidy.

"The government has come out with some programs for us, but they're difficult to access," says Bisschop, who lives in the Varsity Square apartment complexin the city's northwest.

Bisschopreceives just over $1,200 a month from the provincial government because he has a disability. Earlier this year, a Vancouver company took over management of his building and his rent jumped 50 per cent to more than $1,000 a month.

On Tuesday, Calgary Varsity Liberal MLA Harry Chase talked about Bisschop's plight in the legislature. Immediately afterwards, Bisschop was told he'd be getting about $450 extra for the month of June to cover his rent increase.

"It still leaves me expending 70, 75, 80 per cent just on my shelter costs alone when the government says I should not be exceeding 30 per cent," says Bisschop.

Eligibility unclear

The province has no clear criteriafor who qualifies for a rental subsidy and who doesn't. Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, one month at a time.

"That's one of the advantages of the program, because it allows us to be flexible in our decision-making and take into account the individual circumstances people find themselves in," says Sharon Blackwell, a spokesperson for Alberta Employment, Immigration and Industry.

Blackwell says that during the first two weeks of the program in May, the province spent about $300,000 on rental subsidies.

But Chase says the province needs to come up with a way to protect renters like Bisschop from steep rent increases.

"I felt very grateful on behalf of my residents that they at least got this respite, but subsidizing unscrupulous extortion with taxpayers' money is not a long-term answer," says Chase.

Chase also says the province should be clear on who is eligible for a subsidy and who isn't.