6 THE VOICE, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2016 EDITOR LINDA NGUYEN lewpoints Tenants tense in tight Vancouver rental market ncouver’s brutal housing Yfosnic may be the reason some renters aren’t coming forward with valid complaints about their landlords. People I have spoken with about their renting woes describe non- returned damage deposits for a single paint chip being out of place, landlords who impose a strict occupancy rule and even the occasional limitations on cooking heavily spiced food. The renters also said they were afraid of the repercussions of report- ing or complaining about these issues. They said they were afraid that they may not get the all-important positive reference from their land- lords needed to secure their next rental. Others are afraid that if they complain, they will be evicted, and search the rental market all over again, something no one in their right mind wants to do. Rather than gripe about mainte- nance issues or unannounced unit inspections, things that are covered under the B.C. Residential Tenancy Act and are every renter’s right, they are keeping quiet and not rocking the boat. Looking at the stats surrounding Vancouver’s rental market may be one of the reasons. Rental prices are on the rise accord- ing to Tom Davidoff, an economist at UBC. Davidoff is tracking data that suggests the average price of renting a two-bedroom apartment is expected to rise by 20 per cent by early 2017 from an already astronomical $1,648. Vancouver’s low occupancy rate is also intimidating to renters. The Canadian Housing and Mortgage Corporation’s October 2015 assess- ment of Vancouver's rate shows it to be a miniscule 0.6 per cent, one of the lowest in Canada. Data suggests that the rate will fall even further in the coming years. With all the market uncertainty fac- ing Vancouver renters, it is tempting to gloss over or not report legitimate complaints. If you feel unsafe in your apartment, or are being unfairly or illegally treated by your landlords, just speak up. OPINION TANNER BOKOR We want to hear from you Got a different point of view? Write to us. Problems with something we've said? Let us know. Think we got a fact wrong? Tellus. Journalisin instructor Erica Bulman oversees The Voice. Email her at ebulman@langara.be.ca New space age building a first year Langara student, the sleek $50-million Science & Technology Building, or “Building T”, is just another fixture on campus. After three years of construction, the five-storey structure is finally available for students and instruc- tors in the science and nursing departments. Fortunately for the respective departments, the bright and spacious building provides state-of- the-art facilities and labs, allowing for larger class sizes and a more centralized area for students to congregate. Unfortunately for everyone else, it doesn’t really matter. Aside from the occasional departmental meeting for arts programs held in one of its clinical and noisy vacant classrooms, most of the other students at Langara will not be using Building T, other than to seek shelter from a rainstorm in between classes. While it may seem nifty to study ina futuristic space pod with tacky red carpet that lines only half of the stairwells, OPINION good luck to anyone capable of JESSICA PURVER manoeuvring its labyrinthian hallways or finding a quiet workspace in its chair-less corners. The building does of course have its benefits. Gender-neutral washrooms are the norm, not the exception, throughout Building T’s hallways. It is LEED-certified and follows the college’s long-term plans for sustainable campus expansion. The larger classroom sizes enable greater capacity for course enrol- ments, which is beneficial to Langara’s computer science depart- ment in light of the thriving tech industry. Yes, Building T is visually appealing and adds an architectural flair to the campus landscape. Sure staff and students directly affected by the facility upgrades are impressed and now have a desig- nated space of solace and science camaraderie, but for the rest of us, the immediate perks are speculative or nonexistent. The proposed renewal for Building A resulted displacements of students, which marked factors in the construction of Building T. Only time will tell whether students in other programs will see any benefit of using the space at the Science & Technology Building, during their time at Langara. LINDA NGUYEN photo The Science & Technology Building at Langara is completed after three years of construction. The culture of tipping etiquette server as a form of etiquette, regardless of whether you have the option not to. Others may feel like it’s too much that you are asked to chip in for service tips on top of what you pay for your meal. But whether you have a good experience or not, you should tip because servers make below minimum wage. Servers should actually be paid fairly like the people in the retail industry and restaurant owners have the responsibility to do so. It is fair that if you dine with a large group, the tip is automatically included in the bill because of the number of people to serve. And the restaurant should let you know that y:: should definitely tip your when you arrive. Remember if you decide not to tip, the servers still have to share their tips with kitchen staff and in some cases management. So the server could end up OPINION LINDA NGUYEN going home with less than a minimum wage at the end of the night. This doesn’t sound fair, especially when they’re dealing with demand- ing customers for hours. If a customer has received less than average service, it is likely due to the restaurant being understaffed and the server being exceptionally busy. This can make it nearly impos- sible for a server to give perfect service. Generally, servers work a lot of overtime with no breaks, making it difficult for servers to engage in overly friendly conversations. In other places like Europe, the culture of tipping doesn’t exist but you could if you wanted to. In Canada, it is customary to tip anywhere from 15 to 20 per cent. Even if the service was God awful, then maybe do the bare minimum of 10 per cent. With the way that servers or people in the food service industry are treated, we definitely need to tip them. Fil fay ce) The Voice is published by Langara College's journalism department. Editorial opinions are those of the staff and are independent of views of the student government and administration. We welcome letters to the editor. They may be edited for brevity. Your letter must include your name and phone number. HOW TO REACH US PHONE 604-323-5396 FAX 604-323-5398 E-MAIL thevoice@langara.bc.ca DROP-IN Room A226 Langara College SNAIL MAIL The Voice 100 West 49th Ave. Vancouver, B.C. VBY 226 WEBSITE wwwlangaravoice.ca EDITORIAL STAFF MANAGING EDITOR Alison Pudsey PAGE EDITORS PAGE 1 Nico Hemandez PAGE 2 Jake Wray PAGE 3 Alyd Llewellyn PAGE 4 Jenna Tytgat PAGE 5 Anna Tilley PAGE 7 Simran Gill PAGE 8 Roberto Teixeira MANAGING WEB EDITOR Chahira Merarsi WEB EDITORS Veronnica Mackillop Scott Forbes Ashley Singh Brian Kurokawa Reuben Dongalen Ji. Chandler Walter COPY/WEB EDITOR Chantelle Deacon REPORTERS Kristyn Anthony Bala Yogesh Tanner Bokor Lauren Boothby Charles Dale Clare Hennig Sean Hitrec Melanie Green Alyse Kotyk Bonnie Lee La Madeleine Stuart Neatby Caitlin O'Flanagan Emelie Peacock Chelsea Powrie Michele Paulse Jessica Purver Cheryl Whiting Contact us: Online at langaravoice.ca Twitter: @LangaraVoice