THEVOICE | THURSDAY, FEB. 22, 2018 | EDITOR BECCA CLARKSON 2 Se Cramming more tenants under one roof may cost less money, but is it worth the costs to renters' health? Perrin GRAUER ILLUSTRATIO ith Vancouver's housing crisis showing no signs of slowing down, one organization's asinine solution is to cram more tenants than build- ings were designed to host under one unhealthy roof. Asheya Accommodations rents out houses for foreign homeowners looking to avoid the vacancy tax— a one per cent tax applied to the property assessment value of empty houses to combat the housing crisis. But these rental properties of- ten function as little more than makeshift dormitories in which living rooms and common areas are used as extra bedrooms, leaving no shared living space aside from a kitchen. While this option provides one solution to high rental costs, it wreaks havoc on the people who live there by ignoring municipal and provincial regulations meant to protect tenants’ health and safety. Besides logic, academic studies and scientific data further back these concerns up. PlanH, a program implemented by BC Healthy Communities So- ciety, lists crowded housing due to lack of affordability one way in which tenants’ human rights and health can be compromised. According to their Healthy Housing online resource, “meeting housing needs is not only a human rights issue, but also a cost issue. People who are socio-economically disadvantaged tend to have unmet housing needs, and the individual price they pay is higher mortality rates, poor health, and being at risk for serious chronic illnesses.” A paper commissioned by the Canadian Population Health Ini- tiative explains that overcrowding affects both the physical and men- tal state of tenants. “While household density has implications for the spread of in- fectious diseases, the subjective per- ception of crowding may also have an impact on mental health,” wrote Brent Moloughney, a lecturer in the Department of Public Health Sci- ences at University of Toronto. Solving Vancouver's low vacancy w rental health issue rates and high housing prices by cramming more people into fewer rooms ig- nores the health risks associated with such ar- rangements, and exploits the OPINION housing needs CAMERON of economically THOMSON disadvantaged tenants. Before more people are attracted to this option, a more permanent solution must be found. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, Vancouver needs more housing and more restrictions on empty homes. Library Bor repeat - the mis- sion of many post-secondary students, yet a difficult one to fulfil at Langara OPINION ———_ College. AMANDA Finding an POOLE empty place to work in Lan- gara’s library can be as difficult as balancing coursework considering there are only enough seats for four per cent of the 11,000 students en- rolled. Comparatively, at Capilano Col- lege, where one-third of students ully Doo can accommodate for 6 per cent of the 7,000 students enrolled. Langara’s library has won awards for its environmentally sustainable design, yet the architects failed to prioritize the educational purpose of the building. The college blames an increase in enrolment for the overcrowded library, yet admission levels have remained stable over the past couple of years. Library traffic, however, increased by 40,000 stu- dents in 2016. The college has offered some temporary solutions by removing outdated books and journals from the library shelves, as well as adding cubicle style framing on large tables to budget space. Unfortunately, many students are still forced to sit ked for space on campus to get work done. Gone are the days of study buddies—it’s every student for themselves out there. While Langara has a 25-year Master Plan promising to develop additional buildings for specific departments, this quarter century look to the future means little for students at the college today. Lan- gara could reconfigure the floor plan to maximize space or even re- place some bookshelves with com- puter stations, considering most students prefer this resource. Between coursework, exams, tu- ition fees and living expenses, stu- dents already have enough stressors. At a post secondary institution, the chances of finding a seat in the li- LANGARA LIBRARY SUMMER/FALL 2017 REPORT 40,000 more visitors came to the library last year than during the same period in 2016. 33% traffic increase to 470,831 visitors in 2017 from 352,783 in 2014. 10,000 more queries answered by staff members in 2017 than the same period a year prior. SOURCE: LANGARA LIBRARY SUMMER/ Viewpoints Torah in the 21st century ou may not be able to teach Y an old dog new tricks, but you can teach sacred texts like the Torah in new ways— updating the lessons as soci- ety evolves and Jewish practices vary. Jewish people may identify as Orthodox, Con- OPINION servative, Cul- tural or Reform. BECCA There is even CLARKSON one person who identifies as an Independent Jew, local journalist Matthew Ginden, whose monthly lecture series “Rad- ical Readings” invites Vancouverites of all beliefs to interpret sacred Jew- ish literature under a modern lens. Yesterday’s commandments should be read as today’s sugges- tions considering how much variety has been discovered and celebrated since religious rules were written. Polarized, extreme thinking doesn’t often coexist with open-minded dialogue amongst different groups, which is why it’s worth getting peo- ple of various backgrounds together to debate which religious teachings are broken, and which can be re- cycled. Evelyn Neaman is the owner of Tikkun Yoga Centre, and calls her- self a “pick and choose Jew.” Her classes combines teachings from the Jewish calendar with Buddhist meditations and Hinduism’s physi- cal practice. “I love different aspects of all the cultures, and I think weaving them together can only enrich us,” Nea- man said. “Weaving them together can only enrich us.” — EVELYN NEAMAN, YOGA INSTRUCTOR A homogenous society isn’t a healthy one, but neither is one that refuses to learn from one another. Ginden’s inspiration for creating his lecture series came from an aware- ness that people tend to villainize members of groups they view as radical or don't fully understand. In 2016, Statistics Canada re- ported 221 hate crimes towards Jews, which was a 24 per cent increase from the previous year. Clearly, there’s still a lot of learning to do, even in a country celebrated for its cultural diversity. Worship is referred to as a reli- gious practice, not a religious per- fect, because perfection doesn’t allow room for collaboration, ex- perimentation or critical think- ing. So don't throw the carpenter out with the table—let them stick FALL 2017 REPORT reside in North Vancouver and stu- on the floor in the library and sur- brary shouldn't have the same odds around and help you repurpose it dent housing is available, the library rounding halls if they want to stay as winning the lottery. for your personal needs. 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