1. Gary Gee
Pat Reddy says
she has been
forced to move
from her home
of 24 years af-
ter being dis-
covered selling
her homemade
knitting for ex-
tra income.
Every two
months, the 69-year-
old sells her knitting
to supplement her
meagre income. In a
December, she says
the Capital Region
Housing Corpora-
tion gave her a letter
warning her she
would lose her rent
subsidy if she contin-
ued to sell her knit-
ting. They gave her a
deadline of March 5
to stop.
After taking her story
to the media, Reddy
assumed she would
get a letter from the
corporation rescinding
their demand. A
representative of the
CRHC told the CBC
that Reddy was not
in danger of losing
her subsidy and
called the conflict a
“misunderstanding."
The Corporation’s
policy requires annual
reports confirming
income sources.
Reddy’s January
subsidy was suspended
but the CRHC said
her subsidy would
be reinstated if she
promised in writing
that knitting was not
her main source of
income. Reddy says
the corporation has
had all her financial
information since Nov.
2. “It was stamped by
Services Canada and
the Alberta Seniors’
office. Then I dropped it
off at the CRHC office.
They make it sound
like I’m confused. I’m
not old. I know what
happened,” she says.
When she followed
up in February, a
representative told her
it that the CEO was
on vacation. Reddy
wanted it in writing that
she could continue to
supplement her income
with her knitting. “It’s
almost March now. The
letter never came, since
they haven’t bothered,
I’m moving. I was
hoping the outcome
would be that I continue
to live where I am.
It’s going to be hard
moving in the middle
of winter,” says Reddy,
surrounded by boxes
in her living room.
She says she has been
offered a place to live
in a seniors' building.
“They encourage you to
be creative.”
Reddy says she sold
her sweaters, toques
and socks at markets
only about five to six
times a year and did not
sell enough to warrant
losing her subsidy, and
her home. “It’s not like
I’m running a factory.
If I was making $500
or even $200 a month,
I wouldn’t need the
subsidy. I thought if you
make some money, your
rent goes up and your
subsidy goes down. But
that’s not the way the
system works. How can
they be so petty?”
Reddy had an
operation for bladder
cancer a few years ago
needs money to pay
for an external medical
device that regulates
her bladder. “I think it’s
really unfair being told
you can’t have a hobby
and make a little bit of
money from the hobby
to kind of boost your
income. I think seniors
should have more
rights. I had no idea if
you had a subsidy they
would want to keep you
poor, that you couldn’t
get back to having your
income and paying your
bills.”
Reddy decided to file a
complaint to the Alberta
Senior’s Council, the
Alberta Human Rights
Commission and with
the ombudsman’s
office. “The thing that
concerns me the most
is seniors don’t have
a chance. Once you’re
65, that’s supposed to
be it. When I received
that letter, that was
so devastating. I just
wonder how many
seniors that happens
to?”
"I’m not going to
give up. I’m going to
continue to knit. I’m too
much of a rebel.”
Kori Samis DD
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4 - Monday, March 07, 2016, EDMONTON SENIOR
Senior Loses Her Home Over a Few Toques
Pat Reddy lost her rental subsidy when the CRHC discovered
she was supplementing her income by knitting mittens and hats
Pat Reddy says she is forced to move from
her home of 24 years after the CRHC
discovered she was selling her knitting for
extra income.
Trevor Robbe, Edmonton Sun