Does Council Support Racial Based Housing — Or Just Mayor Phyllis Morris?
Posted by auroracitizen on February 22, 2010
Council Watch #5 – by Richard Johnson
Wow. I guess this latest development in York Region should come as no surprise. I understand that Aurora’s Mayor Morris supported this latest brainstorm from the Region with barely a mention of it to the Aurora Council.
I have to wonder what she would say if a developer came to Aurora and asked to build a development for WASPs only ?
If Phyllis feels the Region can support racially based housing with my tax dollars then I trust that she would support self funded segregation of all sorts.
I find it very hard to fathom that my tax dollars are supporting discriminatory policies based on race and religion that have the end effect of limiting where someone in need can actually afford to live. This is a high risk social housing policy if there ever was one, especially for those on the outside looking in. If any given community wants to raise funds and support its own, then fine. Go for it, but don’t use my money to shut people out.
These are my tax dollars at work and I don’t appreciate others spending my hard earned money in such a discriminatory and biased fashion.
RJ
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Housing subsidy blasted
York Region policy of helping lower-income tenants in 4 ethnic residences is discriminatory, critics say
Fri Feb 19 2010 – Gail Swainson Urban Affairs Reporter
Critics say a York Region policy of using tax dollars to subsidize housing restricted to members of certain ethnic and religious groups is discriminatory and condones a form of segregation.
The policy, endorsed recently by regional council, allows four buildings that limit residence to members of their own faith and ethnic communities – one Italian, one Jewish and two Muslim – to receive regional rent-geared-to-income housing subsidies.
“These kinds of special exemptions can get tricky and set a dangerous precedent,” said Newmarket Regional Councillor John Taylor. “These segregated services are not conducive to the kind of communities we want to build. This is also a significant public policy direction that should be debated, but has gone ahead almost unnoticed.”
Although it is illegal under Ontario’s Human Rights Code to restrict housing based on race, ancestry, colour, ethnicity, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, family status or disability, some affirmative-action housing providers enjoy exemptions.
Only Toronto, with four such facilities, and now York Region, have chosen to award exemptions. Read Full Article.
Aurora Citizen 
Living in Poverty said
I am a single WHITE mother of two. I work full-time, making on average $20,000 per year. I don’t receive child support and my kids are poverty stricken. I have been on a subsidized housing waiting list for 5 years. A year ago I was called and told they finally had housing for me. They called two days later and told me they had to give the spot to someone who needed it more urgently. I asked what the urgency was. She was a new welfare recipient, who hadn’t been on the wait list for even 30 days. I was told “You have to understand, you have a job, this poor women doesn’t. I’m really sorry, but social assistance recipients are priority.” Yes, and I live in a one room bachelor apartment and am doing the best I can.
Perhaps someone here can tell me how I can convert my religion to praise Allah, or perhaps I should convert to judaism. Maybe I could have a blood test and find out I have Italian ancestors, maybe I could just call York Region Housing and tell them I’m Italian, they couldn’t prove I’m not.
Maybe instead of building new ethnic-based segragated housing, they could work on kicking out those who are abusing the system, who don’t pay their rent, and have been living on the welfare roll for the past ten years, and then perhaps they would find housing for those that truly need it.
fed up said
This move by the mare is, by itself, enough reason to NOT re-elect her. Not to mention all the other crap she has dished out or not told us about.
Thanks will be Given come October said
Are we talking about the mare or the Mayor? A mare is a female horse.
Oh, I get it.
Well, lets at least show a little respect for the position if not for the person and capitalize Mare.