Why The CTF Should Be Viewed VERY Skeptically

Recently, the Canadian Taxpayer's Federation put out a news release that purported to "discover" a number of high income Calgarians living in "subsidized housing".

 The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) released the results of its investigation into subsidized housing in Calgary today. The CTF discovered 1,208 tenants making between $50,000 and $172,000 living in housing subsidized by the Calgary Housing Company (CHC).

Using documents obtained through Freedom of Information (FOI), the CTF discovered 18 tenants making between $120,000 and $172,000, 47 tenants making between $100,000 and $172,000, 123 tenants making between $80,000 and $172,000, and 1,208 tenants making between $50,000 and $172,000.

Of course, the CTF allegations are 98% spin.  Yes, there are some high income tenants in CHC properties.  Guess what?  That is expected.  The CHC rents some of its properties at market rates, and utilizes the profits from that to pay for the subsidies that other tenants require.

The CTF is being unreasonably absolutist about things in this issue, and in doing so are demonstrating the lack of humanity that has come to dominate conservative political advocacy in this country:

Fildebrandt says waiting for the cohort of high-income earners to move out isn’t good enough, and called on the province to change the legislation to allow authorities to evict them.

“A system that allows this is a joke,” he said.

The CTF also wants authorities to lower income thresholds for subsidized housing, saying households with an income of $50,000 or more don’t need it.

“You’re not rich, but you’re able to stand on your own two feet,” he said.

Frankly, in this matter, the CTF doesn't know what it is talking about.