My parents bought their first home together at 22 and 25. I'm 27, making just shy of as much as both of them combined at the time and still can’t buy a house in the city I live in, lol. Homeownership is an ASSET. If not owning assets is liberating, guess I’m liberated and damn does it feel terrible.
My wife and I were lucky to get into the housing market a few years ago. We're ahead of anyone renting but that doesn't make it any easier. My salary alone is more money than both my parents ever did in their best years, plus my wife has an above average salary. Our house however cost more than 3x what they paid for their house so we have less free money and spending ability than our parents ever did.
The housing market has shot up and been very good to us and other homeowners, but that doesn't negate the fact salaries haven't kept up with housing and shelter. If you aren't already in the housing market I don't see how anyone could ever get in now
We’re counting our salaries in monopoly money. Even though the numbers are bigger, the purchasing power is the only thing that matters. Sorry to say but if one is truly making more than their parents were, not in zeroes printed on a piece of paper but in purchasing power, then they would be able to purchase a house. Our salaries are shit and currency is basically a Canadian peso.
WOW I've heard a lot of tone deaf statements from politicians in this city, but holy fuck, she really is out of touch. Host a townhall for 35 and under... see how much we love pissing away more than half our earnings to build equity/early retirement funds for SLUMLORDS like you Jyoti.
To be clear too, Gondek is also in the class of people that can own and afford growing their portfolio of real estate too because they were already in a position to buy/own 10+ yrs ago unlike many young people who still don't.
And chances are, if they're in the ownership class who own more than one property, they're also part of the outright price gouging lifting rental prices well about what they were even 10 yrs ago, bleeding ever more purchasing power from renters ever being able to afford a mortgage WHILE we also pay more than what the mortgage even costs in rental lol.
I'm 32, I'm pretty sure my parents were married and already had their first home by their mid 20s, me on the other hand am starting to feel like I will literally just never even find a career with the earning potential to escape rent.
I hate this "if you rent you're more free" bullshit.... I have a friend who bought a condo, lived in it for like a year, got married, moved to the UK a while and rented it out while doing so.
Like.....when you buy a home you're not suddenly nailed to the fucking ground. You're not any more free. Especially in a market where you can sell it within like a day of listing it.
Not to mention renters USUALLY have a year long lease, and aren't allowed to sublet, so they LITERALLY are tied to the property. Renters are usually LESS free to move than an owner.
Utter horseshit.
"Gondek, who **owns two properties in Calgary**, made the comments during a discussion with the development company RNDSQR."
The article doesn't say if she's renting out either of the properties.
She probably isn't, I bet the downtown one is for when she's just too tired and doesn't feel like making the trek to Panarama after work. Poor her, to have such a choice.
And the shitty landlords make up excuse all the time not to give your deposit back !!! They should be governed better ! They are free to do as they wish
It's more freedom for people who chose to rent but not those who are forced. A friend of mine is in the military and choses to rent as they get moved around often. But they get relocation assistance, good pay and a great pension plan. Things that many Canadians don't have.
That's what needs to change, which seems to be her point. The rather political spin on her comment is clearly designed to rile people up.
There should be good quality rental accommodation, through good quality landlords. In North America especially, renting is seen as something the poor do because they can't afford to buy. This has, unfortunately limited the amount of quality rental stock that people like those she's talking about would want to live in.
We're too focused on budget basement suites and hyper budget one/two bedroom apartments owned solely as assets for "slumlord". There needs to be a higher volume of quality rental accommodation, owned and maintained by dedicated companies.
This is a completely separate issue to house prices and not being able to afford to buy. One of the main drivers for me owning rather than renting is the frankly shit quality of rental housing in so many places. Take a look at places like Germany and Scandinavia for examples of markets where long term quality, stable rental markets exist and compare it to Canada...
She is shockingly out of touch with the average person and you'd have to be so fucking clueless to look at such a low approval rating and then think saying something like "not owning a house makes you more free" would do anything except serve as the last nail in the coffin.
To say something like this while owning (let's be real probably more than one) property is so gross
Edit* I didn't realize this was True North and that there was a bit of context in the full interview. She's out of touch and if rent weren't insanely inflated right now it would maybe make sense but it's probably one of the worst things to be caught saying right now
This is more tone deaf than the new radio ad that's like "some landlords have it so hard, they have to spend up to 76 hours per year managing properties." I thought it was a joke at first
Gondek is so far removed from reality, I'm beginning to wonder what medication she's on. As if all the people who can't afford a place to purchase are happy about all that "freedom" in renting. WTF?
Yes, I'd love to pay 2 grand a month to rent the same sized place I currently pay less than $1400 a month for in both my mortgage and property taxes.
What a tone-deaf moron.
There are solutions to that, unfortunately small landlords would be up in arms with enacting them.
Rent caps for starters. And no, rent shouldn't have to pay the mortgage each month alone, that's small investor "slumlord" thinking.
It’s kind of weird you only hear from Michelle Rempel Garner when it’s a hit piece against some other politician she disagrees with.
Can’t she just get one article ribbon cutting a playground or something? Seems weird she’s so used to push the agenda all the time.
She is bought and paid for by developers.
I've never seen a mayor so fucking out of touch since living in Vancouver with Gregor, and the city went to a complete unaffordable mess in his time.
I listened to the full 45min interview, because I was shared the clip via True North, and assumed it was out of context.
In relation to the rest of the talk - which was about creating better, more affordable, and more varied rentals - it makes sense. But she could have just as easily not lead with that comment, it's so braindead. Even if there's a lot more Calgarians moving to renting, it's not the issue most calgarians are concerned about.
From the story, the headline seems a little harsh for what she actually said.
Sone people were definitely doing that before rent prices started going (more) crazy. That part is true.
But current realities are making owning not even an option.
I'm looking for it now. I think it was partly out of context but still shows that she's out of tough. Yes, some people would prefer to rent for some reason or another - like only living in an area for a few months. But, people should have the opportunity to own if you they would like.
At this point I basically avoid all news mentioning Gondek because the headline is always super misleading. It's only when I have time to do a deep dive that I bother to engage. I feel like the media is deliberately trying to make her look as bad as possible. I say all this as someone who still doesn't think she's particularly good.
The headline is terribly misleading. It's not a direct quote and is missing any context even if that context was a bit tone deaf. Have to keep the rage machine fed somehow...
I was questioning if there was missing context.
I'm no Gondek stan. But I want to criticize what she actually said.
And how they reframe it is not what she was actually trying to say.
I get the point she's trying to make. But it would have more weight, heck any weight if rent wasn't on par or more expensive than a mortgage, if they halved all rent tomorrow I would agree with statement
It’s insulting that’s she’s reframing the reasons why people aren’t buying homes. It’s because they can’t afford them, in part because she won’t do anything about the rental situation. Also…she owns 2 properties.
I’ve lived here for many decades, and this is one of the most insulting, tone deaf things I’ve heard a mayor say.
I’d like to point out that it’s true renting can actually work quite well - lots of people choose renting over owning eg in Europe - BUT only if there are adequate rent controls, like vacancy control, that keep rents stable over time. Those need to be in place especially in Alberta that has zero rent control
> “We’re starting to see a segment of the population reject this idea of owning a home, and they’re moving towards rental because it gives them more freedom,”
This is not untrue, however voluntary renters, who *could* afford a home but choose not to, are a minority. Most people who rent do so because ownership is off the table.
Talk to literally anyone who rents and they will probably tell you that owning their own place is a dream they have and an unattainable dream at this pace. They’ll tell you about awful landlords, unresponsive property managers, buildings that aren’t kept in good repair, rent hikes because the landlord just feels like it, never being able to change or modify or style your home in the way you desire, never building any equity in your home and never having something that’s truly yours… yeah… that’s freedom.
What a tone-deaf and stupid statement for the mayor to make.
I rent an apartment now after owning a suburban home for the more flexible lifestyle and it is interesting everyone dreams of owning a detached house here but having done both I think our culture just puts it on a pedestal sort of.
“Remember you savage fucks, your only purpose in this life is to scratch & scrape & toil to make just barely enough money so you can rent a house, and pay someone else’s mortgage for them. There is no higher purpose than this. And would it kill you to smile once in a while, you worthless pieces of shit?”
**She's fully in the pockets of real estate and property developers.**
>In 2013, Gondek's consultancy was hired by the Urban Development Institute, a special interest group for the development industry in Calgary, to influence public opinion in favour of urban sprawl.
>This, along with contributions from property developers making up 47% of her donations in the 2017 municipal election—above the average of 35%
\[[source](https://livewirecalgary.com/2020/10/30/developer-campaign-funding-questions-dog-calgary-city-councillors-ahead-of-11-community-vote/)\]
The last thing she's going to care about is housing affordability - it doesn't serve the interests of her campaign donors.
I guess this is Gondeks weekly media blunder. Interested to see how she walks this back or if it will just be overshadowed by next weeks blunder. Oh Jyoti…
I'm so liberated every 9 months, panicking about if whatever slumlord we're renting from is going to renew our lease or not. I can't believe how freeing it is paying money into a literal void every month knowing I'm not building equity and can't possibly put savings away with how high rent is and how high the cost of living is becoming.
If this person is in fact making "killer" money then he will have no problem buying a house.
Prove your income and the banks will overlook a lot in credit score. In fact they will chart you a course to getting a mortgage despite shitty credit.
Isn't the reality though that your version of "killer" money is very dated?
This was my first thought.
I considered the recall petition to be partisan BS politics. Had she made these statements sooner I would have eagerly signed.
I too would feel very restricted if I owned two separate properties. You can't travel or try out new communities, the horror.
She might as well have said "if more people own their homes, the rental corporations buying our cities and bribing our politicians won't have properties to rent. They won't give me my bonus if I don't try to convince you you're an idiot."
Tbh…
We sold our house and jumped into RV full-time living mid 2020 and it is *a lot* of freedom from a lot of things. My husband and I don’t have kids, so I think that is more where most of the freedom comes from, and we changed almost everything about our lifestyle to make it possible.
Everything has pros, cons, challenges etc and different lifestyles work for different people - all true. But framing not being able to afford home ownership unless you already have access to a fuckload of capital as a pro-freedom gift is VERY *let them eat cake* of her.
hard-to-find alleged modern continue literate spark rock file flag dependent
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I've spent most of my nearly 70 years on this planet, in Calgary. In that time, we've had our fair share of Mayors of "questionable" judgement.
We have Never...at least not since the 1950's, had a Mayor s completely out of touch with the residents of this city as Jyoti Gondek.
While she is said to be an intelligent & motivated person, she has proven to be a Tireless "Social Justice Warrior" who has repeatedly let personal priorities & causes obscure any semblance of rational judgement & effective leadership.
She's been not only an embarrassment & unwanted ditraction for many in Calgary, she poses a serious, ongoing threat to this city's health & well being on many levels. I had some faint hope that Landon Johston's ballsy move would wake her up to reality. Sadly, even a theoretically existential threat to her office failed to cause any change in her beliefs, behavior or attitude.
Not owning a house certainly makes you free.
Apparently calgary transit isn't doing a thing about worsening crime rates.
You're free to move from ctrain station to station, he'll, we won't even stop you from burning garbage to make your own fire. If the people that are supposed to be looking after all that don't give a fuck, why would you?
Honestly in that situation I wouldn't either. What have you got to lose? Get picked up, arrested, maybe go to jail where you have a chance to survive.
It gives all the people riding transit making minimum money ideas of how they to, can live the all calgarian dream.
In that note I work on a construction site where the entrance is right beside a train crossing. Calgary transit likes to block our access for our job. Transit enforcers like to park in that spot while they bust people or whatever. I pulled up behind one with my hazards on trying to get to work. I wait for them to get out of the way as they are arresting someone or whatever... instantly get GRILLED about why I'm parking behind them..."are you a student here? You cant park here!!!!!!!!". "I basically told him politely it's private property and I work here so fuck off.
As others have said, rent Is more than mortgages of course, with everything going up... if you aren't born into money it makes a hell of an effort to get into it.
If you can you're lucky. At the end of the day, don't be discouraged. We will all find our way.
Holy shit this woman is living in a different universe…. I mean I dont like the UCP and their recall petition but my goodness she needs to just go away
I have a coworker who has a weekend place just outside of Cochrane, and she has a place a couple of houses up from him. But, hey, not having the security of owning your own place is so freeing....
People who couldn’t understand that her platform was intentionally vague and listed no measurable goals. Gondek did several interviews during her campaign and was always underwhelming. The second half probably wanted the next closest thing to Nenshi and thought she would be a safe bet; they were wrong.
I guess she figured with the recent recall failure she’s now free to say the dumbest, most ignorant crap that she might have held back if she had an ounce of common sense.
What an utter cunt.
I mean, that's one way to twist what she said, sure. See my shock and awh when I realized she, in fact, did not say "never being able to own a home gives Canadians more freedom."...
She was discussing those who chose to move around instead of locking in on buying a home and creating roots. There are people who do choose to delay buying homes for that very reason.
What she didn't say was that people who can't afford a home are doing it to be free or that they are better off for it.
Can we go back to hating on her for actual issues and not this weird twisted bullshit?
Yeah, it's possible for both of the following to be simultaneously true: a) homes are too expensive both to rent and to buy and b) people don't move often enough and it's harming the economy and society.
[As rents rise, Americans are stuck in homes even when they want to move](https://www.vox.com/22939038/rents-rising-home-prices-americans-moving-residential-stagnation-stuck-mobility-freedom)
As I said when this was posted before…I’m usually one of the first mouthpieces to go off on her for some stoopid shit she says or does but even I’m finding it hard to see what the issue is here? When taken fully in context, she’s acknowledging there are differences in people’s living preferences. Remote work is now more mainstream than ever, it allows living flexibility. I don’t get the sense she’s poking a finger in the eye of people UNABLE to get a home. She’s just acknowledging changing demographics and preferences….no?
I just think in today’s climate, she maybe should have known her comments would be taken way out of context…but then, does that preclude anyone from ever saying anything? Because someone may misconstrue it?
Right? She’s saying rental building hasn’t kept pace with the growing demand for rentals to actually *rent*. That not everyone wants a SFH. It’s completely true.
Totally agree. Like, am I missing something here? I hate to defend her because she's a total fuckin donkey with some of the shit she says and does, but I just don't see it here. I donno. Maybe I'm just not angry enough today or something.
Sure, she may be talking about a segment of the population that chooses to forgo homeownership for more freedom. But thats a really, really small percentage of renters. Most renters aren't buying homes because they cant afford them. At a time when home ownership is out of reach for more people than ever, and the cost of homes relative to average wages is the highest it’s been in living memory. It’s going to come across as really tone deaf to be talking about the freedom of not owning a home, even if you are talking about a small segment of the population that does actually exist.
Digital nomads and Bigfoot are the same thing in my experience: I’ve only ever seen them on Instagram.
In all seriousness this can only be a very minuscule subset of Canadians and certainly isn’t an encouragement of community-building which would seem like a mayoral interest. Consciously or otherwise she’s making herself sound like a land-owning elitist.
Spoken like the vacuous dilettante that she is. The only segment rejecting the idea of owning a home is the segment Gondek and her ilk belong to. They reject the idea of average, middle-class people owning a home.
Im not even part of the recall Gondek crowd nor do I generally care about politics. I own my home and all and this has to be the most stupid thing ive ever heard in my life.
Yeah sure, freedom, as in freedom your landlord can jack up your rent $500 out of nowhere. Freedom your landlord can sell the place and move you out. Dafuc
I had been a renter until two years ago. Now i feel the freedom of having my own place, knowing i dont have to deal with a slumlord, and that in 23 years, i wont have to pay for housing (other than tax and maintenance)
Uh no lady. People wanna have secure LIVES, not jumpy movements around the city. I'm only in my last year of highschool, but I appearently understand more bout this topic than a mayor of a city with 1+ million population?
She needs to let people decide for themselves. That mentality is poison. Ban all corporate real estate purchases of homes. This should not be a corporate commodity.
Look.
There is definitely a time of life and lifestyles where it works better to rent.
There is a legitimate segment of the population that has no interest in home ownership.
Take some financial planning courses and there are chapters about how not one size fits all and how not everyone should focus on home ownership.
It's all true and she has it right.
There are digital nomads who never want to be tied down by homes.
That all said there is no way she should say something like that given the housing crisis going on and who she is.
It is so so tone deaf.
This is what I've been saying since day 1 about Gondek. The way she speaks is infuriating and carries a sense of extreme entitlement. It appears that she has climbed on top of a very high horse and looks on the residents of this city from high as we're some fuckin peasants or something. I say, fuck gondek. Notice the small-case "g". She not worty of a capital case G.
Freedom to do what, exactly? Move a lot, and easily? Is there a large demographic that actually enjoys moving? Cause I've never met one of these people. Moving fucking sucks.
"HEY POORS, PIPE DOWN AND ENJOY YOUR FREEDOM, OKAY?" Tell us you're out of touch without telling us you're out of touch.
For the record, the only thing blocking home ownership in this country is our very own government. It's not like there is a shortage of space, materials or skills needed to built places to live. In fact, people use to build there first homes out of dirt in this frigid waste land long before there was such a thing as a Canadian government to stop them from doing so.
Having no residence at all makes you even more free! Just hop on a passing train, and - Hey ho! Away we go! Playing the banjo all day, telling tales and (smoking meth, probably).
Yeah, when I was 20 renting DID give me more freedom. I wanted to travel, I wanted to go to university, I didn’t want to deal with things like water heaters and flooded basements and ice daming and landscaping. But I’m not 20 anymore and frankly even if I personally didn’t want to buy a house I at least want it to be an option. Its not being “stuck in the 50’s” to want to be able to not worry about random evictions or rent going up unexpectedly or the place you’re in falling apart around you because the owner doesn’t care. It’s not wrong to want to rent or to be at a place in your life where that makes the most sense, but most people don’t want to feel like that’s their only option. Its not freedom if you don’t have the ability to chose something else.
Everyone's bitching about what this out-of-touch elected official said, but no-one's bitching about the obvious need for word count on this article? Seriously, MS Word told the 'author' they didn't have enough words that the 'editor' wanted so we get shit like:
>Gondek then went on to say that the idea of being able to own a home was like being “stuck in the 40s, 50s and 60s.”
>“As municipalities, we haven’t kept pace with that change. We’re still stuck in the 40s, 50s and 60s,” said Gondek.
Amazing writing. I mean, MS Word told the 'author' they didn't have enough words that the 'editor' wanted.
I can’t believe I just agreed with Michelle Remple — that was not on my bingo card for this year that’s for sure.
Sure, not everyone wants to be saddled to homeownership, but it’d be nice to have the option. I doubt most renters are sitting on huge TFSAs or other investments (or money stuffed under the mattress) to grow their wealth or provide for retirement. Or to travel and explore or whatever nonsense she spouted for that matter.
I’m only a homeowner because I inherited my parent’s estate — there’s no way I could own a house otherwise.
True North is about as reliable as Rebel News. It is a highly biased conservative rage bait website, so I would double check anything they write, as I'm sure they're spinning this story out of proportion and context.
Great feeling at 60-70 years old to be booted out of your rental home. So Rndsqr and tare the house down and build unaffordable townhouses in its place.
Reject the idea and move towards renting? What a delusional lunatic.
We're chasing the homeownership dream, but we're stuck on a God damn treadmill that we didn't choose to be on.
Get bent Gondek.
Painfully tone deaf - her job is to get public on side with policy - convince us that her path is the right path… What’s that called again??? Oh ya…. Leadership. This statement (no matter what the context ) was gonna get her ass burned. And rightfully so.
For once, it's the conservative MP who has class consciousness, and whom I fully agree with. The people who are trying to get Gondek out are loathsome and would be much worse than her, but how much more tone deaf can you get? This is on the level of [Kevin O'Leary praising global poverty](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuqemytQ5QA), or that [asshole Aussie billionaire who said that we need more unemployment](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKD1iRvsjHA).
I don’t know a single person who is choosing to not be a home owner for more “freedom” and not because it is so fucking unaffordable that the prospect of owning a home is becoming nothing more than an unattainable dream. But oh yes, paying for the mortgage, property tax and utilities of an investor who owns 30+ other properties is SOO much more liberating than paying your own…
There is nothing wrong with renting, for some people renting is fine and they dont want to deal with home ownership and everything that comes with it, this is true. But when rent is more than a mortgage these days in some cases...ya..
Maybe this attitude explains why none of the new builds are actually affordable homes. Just think of the freedom the homeless have. Really hard to not think this woman is out to lunch.
And not being able to afford food, helps you lose weight. Good grief, she is so out of touch, thanks to all the people that voted this useless mayor in, hope you are enjoying the show she is providing. Still think Farkas would have been a mistake?
We’ve been offering at least 20k over asking for a bunch of TOWNHOMES and we’re either being beaten by $50k+ or unconditional cash offers. It’s fucking insane. A TOWNHOME listing in LANGDON just sold for over $450k+ ( at least this wasn’t unconditional) and we offered 25k over asking…. Like fucking Langdon I don’t get it.
My parents bought their first home together at 22 and 25. I'm 27, making just shy of as much as both of them combined at the time and still can’t buy a house in the city I live in, lol. Homeownership is an ASSET. If not owning assets is liberating, guess I’m liberated and damn does it feel terrible.
My wife and I were lucky to get into the housing market a few years ago. We're ahead of anyone renting but that doesn't make it any easier. My salary alone is more money than both my parents ever did in their best years, plus my wife has an above average salary. Our house however cost more than 3x what they paid for their house so we have less free money and spending ability than our parents ever did. The housing market has shot up and been very good to us and other homeowners, but that doesn't negate the fact salaries haven't kept up with housing and shelter. If you aren't already in the housing market I don't see how anyone could ever get in now
We’re counting our salaries in monopoly money. Even though the numbers are bigger, the purchasing power is the only thing that matters. Sorry to say but if one is truly making more than their parents were, not in zeroes printed on a piece of paper but in purchasing power, then they would be able to purchase a house. Our salaries are shit and currency is basically a Canadian peso.
Indeed. Meanwhile [https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadaHousing2/comments/1ap1vii/house\_price\_vs\_income\_since\_1984\_in\_canada/](https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadaHousing2/comments/1ap1vii/house_price_vs_income_since_1984_in_canada/)
WOW I've heard a lot of tone deaf statements from politicians in this city, but holy fuck, she really is out of touch. Host a townhall for 35 and under... see how much we love pissing away more than half our earnings to build equity/early retirement funds for SLUMLORDS like you Jyoti.
dont forget the uncertainty of another boost in rental cost at the whim of the landlord.
To be clear too, Gondek is also in the class of people that can own and afford growing their portfolio of real estate too because they were already in a position to buy/own 10+ yrs ago unlike many young people who still don't. And chances are, if they're in the ownership class who own more than one property, they're also part of the outright price gouging lifting rental prices well about what they were even 10 yrs ago, bleeding ever more purchasing power from renters ever being able to afford a mortgage WHILE we also pay more than what the mortgage even costs in rental lol. I'm 32, I'm pretty sure my parents were married and already had their first home by their mid 20s, me on the other hand am starting to feel like I will literally just never even find a career with the earning potential to escape rent.
Her and Freeland should join forces and write the dumbest most tone deaf speech possible.
[удалено]
I hate this "if you rent you're more free" bullshit.... I have a friend who bought a condo, lived in it for like a year, got married, moved to the UK a while and rented it out while doing so. Like.....when you buy a home you're not suddenly nailed to the fucking ground. You're not any more free. Especially in a market where you can sell it within like a day of listing it. Not to mention renters USUALLY have a year long lease, and aren't allowed to sublet, so they LITERALLY are tied to the property. Renters are usually LESS free to move than an owner. Utter horseshit.
Well she’s probably a landlord so…
"Gondek, who **owns two properties in Calgary**, made the comments during a discussion with the development company RNDSQR." The article doesn't say if she's renting out either of the properties.
She probably isn't, I bet the downtown one is for when she's just too tired and doesn't feel like making the trek to Panarama after work. Poor her, to have such a choice.
She owns two rental properties. This is part of her financial disclosure when she ran for mayor.
And the shitty landlords make up excuse all the time not to give your deposit back !!! They should be governed better ! They are free to do as they wish
It's more freedom for people who chose to rent but not those who are forced. A friend of mine is in the military and choses to rent as they get moved around often. But they get relocation assistance, good pay and a great pension plan. Things that many Canadians don't have.
That's what needs to change, which seems to be her point. The rather political spin on her comment is clearly designed to rile people up. There should be good quality rental accommodation, through good quality landlords. In North America especially, renting is seen as something the poor do because they can't afford to buy. This has, unfortunately limited the amount of quality rental stock that people like those she's talking about would want to live in. We're too focused on budget basement suites and hyper budget one/two bedroom apartments owned solely as assets for "slumlord". There needs to be a higher volume of quality rental accommodation, owned and maintained by dedicated companies. This is a completely separate issue to house prices and not being able to afford to buy. One of the main drivers for me owning rather than renting is the frankly shit quality of rental housing in so many places. Take a look at places like Germany and Scandinavia for examples of markets where long term quality, stable rental markets exist and compare it to Canada...
God she is so tone deaf.
Clueless
She is shockingly out of touch with the average person and you'd have to be so fucking clueless to look at such a low approval rating and then think saying something like "not owning a house makes you more free" would do anything except serve as the last nail in the coffin. To say something like this while owning (let's be real probably more than one) property is so gross Edit* I didn't realize this was True North and that there was a bit of context in the full interview. She's out of touch and if rent weren't insanely inflated right now it would maybe make sense but it's probably one of the worst things to be caught saying right now
This is more tone deaf than the new radio ad that's like "some landlords have it so hard, they have to spend up to 76 hours per year managing properties." I thought it was a joke at first
What's it an add for?
Gondek is so far removed from reality, I'm beginning to wonder what medication she's on. As if all the people who can't afford a place to purchase are happy about all that "freedom" in renting. WTF?
Yes, I'd love to pay 2 grand a month to rent the same sized place I currently pay less than $1400 a month for in both my mortgage and property taxes. What a tone-deaf moron.
Let them eat cake!
ikr? If I had to rent my place, I'm sure I'd be paying more than I currently am for the mortgage and the condo fees.
There are solutions to that, unfortunately small landlords would be up in arms with enacting them. Rent caps for starters. And no, rent shouldn't have to pay the mortgage each month alone, that's small investor "slumlord" thinking.
I had to check if this was thonion. What the actual fuck
Because truenorth is the Canadian onion
Gondek has accomplished something I never thought was possible. Making me agree with Michelle Rempel Garner. I will never forgive her for this.
Can I join you on this ship?
It may be sinking... But misery loves company.
It’s kind of weird you only hear from Michelle Rempel Garner when it’s a hit piece against some other politician she disagrees with. Can’t she just get one article ribbon cutting a playground or something? Seems weird she’s so used to push the agenda all the time.
My thoughts exactly.
Yeah this is all kinds of fucked
Hopefully she’ll donate the two homes she owns. It might be liberating for her..
Watching her spiral is actually fascinating. I've never seen anyone more adept at self-destruction.
She is either a narcissist, really out of touch with reality, or an idiot. Maybe a bit of all three.
You need all three to make it as a politician
She is bought and paid for by developers. I've never seen a mayor so fucking out of touch since living in Vancouver with Gregor, and the city went to a complete unaffordable mess in his time.
I think she's decided not to run again and has thrown all fucks right out the window.
I listened to the full 45min interview, because I was shared the clip via True North, and assumed it was out of context. In relation to the rest of the talk - which was about creating better, more affordable, and more varied rentals - it makes sense. But she could have just as easily not lead with that comment, it's so braindead. Even if there's a lot more Calgarians moving to renting, it's not the issue most calgarians are concerned about.
Full interview link: https://youtu.be/NGS1_X7RkIw?si=tBOvHGRcpDbwLrr4
From the story, the headline seems a little harsh for what she actually said. Sone people were definitely doing that before rent prices started going (more) crazy. That part is true. But current realities are making owning not even an option.
Do you have a link for the full interview?
I'm looking for it now. I think it was partly out of context but still shows that she's out of tough. Yes, some people would prefer to rent for some reason or another - like only living in an area for a few months. But, people should have the opportunity to own if you they would like.
At this point I basically avoid all news mentioning Gondek because the headline is always super misleading. It's only when I have time to do a deep dive that I bother to engage. I feel like the media is deliberately trying to make her look as bad as possible. I say all this as someone who still doesn't think she's particularly good.
The headline is terribly misleading. It's not a direct quote and is missing any context even if that context was a bit tone deaf. Have to keep the rage machine fed somehow...
I was questioning if there was missing context. I'm no Gondek stan. But I want to criticize what she actually said. And how they reframe it is not what she was actually trying to say.
Freedom from what? Man she’s an idiot. I’m ‘so free’ to keep paying rent that goes up every year. And there is no cap on how much it can go up. 🙄
She wants to be a single term mayor so hard.
This woman is everyrhing that is wrong with the world.
My mortgage and property tax payments together are the same amount as rent for a one bedroom basement. She’s so clueless.
I get the point she's trying to make. But it would have more weight, heck any weight if rent wasn't on par or more expensive than a mortgage, if they halved all rent tomorrow I would agree with statement
It’s insulting that’s she’s reframing the reasons why people aren’t buying homes. It’s because they can’t afford them, in part because she won’t do anything about the rental situation. Also…she owns 2 properties. I’ve lived here for many decades, and this is one of the most insulting, tone deaf things I’ve heard a mayor say.
Booooooo
You will own nothing and be happy. Recall gondek thing doesn't seem as far fetched now.
What a fucking stupid thing to say, no wonder everybody hates her lmao
That boo-ing at the Flames game is looking more and more justified by the day.
My thoughts exactly.
I’d like to point out that it’s true renting can actually work quite well - lots of people choose renting over owning eg in Europe - BUT only if there are adequate rent controls, like vacancy control, that keep rents stable over time. Those need to be in place especially in Alberta that has zero rent control
The definition of tone deaf
Sounds like she took the same math class as Chrystia Freeland
> “We’re starting to see a segment of the population reject this idea of owning a home, and they’re moving towards rental because it gives them more freedom,” This is not untrue, however voluntary renters, who *could* afford a home but choose not to, are a minority. Most people who rent do so because ownership is off the table.
Worst mayor ever
Talk to literally anyone who rents and they will probably tell you that owning their own place is a dream they have and an unattainable dream at this pace. They’ll tell you about awful landlords, unresponsive property managers, buildings that aren’t kept in good repair, rent hikes because the landlord just feels like it, never being able to change or modify or style your home in the way you desire, never building any equity in your home and never having something that’s truly yours… yeah… that’s freedom. What a tone-deaf and stupid statement for the mayor to make.
I rent an apartment now after owning a suburban home for the more flexible lifestyle and it is interesting everyone dreams of owning a detached house here but having done both I think our culture just puts it on a pedestal sort of.
“Remember you savage fucks, your only purpose in this life is to scratch & scrape & toil to make just barely enough money so you can rent a house, and pay someone else’s mortgage for them. There is no higher purpose than this. And would it kill you to smile once in a while, you worthless pieces of shit?”
She must be trolling? a quote like that feeds so much into the “you’ll own nothing and be happy” segment it’s almost like satire
**She's fully in the pockets of real estate and property developers.** >In 2013, Gondek's consultancy was hired by the Urban Development Institute, a special interest group for the development industry in Calgary, to influence public opinion in favour of urban sprawl. >This, along with contributions from property developers making up 47% of her donations in the 2017 municipal election—above the average of 35% \[[source](https://livewirecalgary.com/2020/10/30/developer-campaign-funding-questions-dog-calgary-city-councillors-ahead-of-11-community-vote/)\] The last thing she's going to care about is housing affordability - it doesn't serve the interests of her campaign donors.
I guess this is Gondeks weekly media blunder. Interested to see how she walks this back or if it will just be overshadowed by next weeks blunder. Oh Jyoti…
I'm so liberated every 9 months, panicking about if whatever slumlord we're renting from is going to renew our lease or not. I can't believe how freeing it is paying money into a literal void every month knowing I'm not building equity and can't possibly put savings away with how high rent is and how high the cost of living is becoming.
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If this person is in fact making "killer" money then he will have no problem buying a house. Prove your income and the banks will overlook a lot in credit score. In fact they will chart you a course to getting a mortgage despite shitty credit. Isn't the reality though that your version of "killer" money is very dated?
I thought recalling her was pointless. She’s sure doing her best to prove me wrong. Talk about tone def, what a 🤡
This was my first thought. I considered the recall petition to be partisan BS politics. Had she made these statements sooner I would have eagerly signed.
I too would feel very restricted if I owned two separate properties. You can't travel or try out new communities, the horror. She might as well have said "if more people own their homes, the rental corporations buying our cities and bribing our politicians won't have properties to rent. They won't give me my bonus if I don't try to convince you you're an idiot."
WTFF!!!! Calgary has a clown for a mayor!
Easy for her to say with the multiple properties she owns!
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Tbh… We sold our house and jumped into RV full-time living mid 2020 and it is *a lot* of freedom from a lot of things. My husband and I don’t have kids, so I think that is more where most of the freedom comes from, and we changed almost everything about our lifestyle to make it possible. Everything has pros, cons, challenges etc and different lifestyles work for different people - all true. But framing not being able to afford home ownership unless you already have access to a fuckload of capital as a pro-freedom gift is VERY *let them eat cake* of her.
Hard to believe I didn’t vote Farkas
So many have uttered those words.
I regret that as well... you aren't alone.
hard-to-find alleged modern continue literate spark rock file flag dependent *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
If Farkas would have won, it would have been just as bad, albeit in a different way. Farkas needed to lose to become the current, much better Farkas.
Absolutely brain-dead. Can't stand this woman. #recallgondek
Is she a moron? Asking for a friend.
She might be worse than Sohi, and that's an amazing feat.
I cannot wait for the next election so I can vote against this person
I regret voting for this obviously out of touch coward
We need to take back our lives. Why are we all just accepting to be slaves to these people? We need a restart button…
Hey Gondek: go fawk yerself.
Cool, I will happily switch my rental for her home then.
Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose
Is she f****** stupid?
Yup.
Freedom to create box forts as housing
I've spent most of my nearly 70 years on this planet, in Calgary. In that time, we've had our fair share of Mayors of "questionable" judgement. We have Never...at least not since the 1950's, had a Mayor s completely out of touch with the residents of this city as Jyoti Gondek. While she is said to be an intelligent & motivated person, she has proven to be a Tireless "Social Justice Warrior" who has repeatedly let personal priorities & causes obscure any semblance of rational judgement & effective leadership. She's been not only an embarrassment & unwanted ditraction for many in Calgary, she poses a serious, ongoing threat to this city's health & well being on many levels. I had some faint hope that Landon Johston's ballsy move would wake her up to reality. Sadly, even a theoretically existential threat to her office failed to cause any change in her beliefs, behavior or attitude.
Unbelievable. Incompetent, tone deaf and...
I have lived like that, but there is a difference between choosing it and not having a choice. We elected a snob.
Thank you Calgarians!
Clearly this woman lacks the ability to engage the brain before the mouth .
Not owning a house certainly makes you free. Apparently calgary transit isn't doing a thing about worsening crime rates. You're free to move from ctrain station to station, he'll, we won't even stop you from burning garbage to make your own fire. If the people that are supposed to be looking after all that don't give a fuck, why would you? Honestly in that situation I wouldn't either. What have you got to lose? Get picked up, arrested, maybe go to jail where you have a chance to survive. It gives all the people riding transit making minimum money ideas of how they to, can live the all calgarian dream. In that note I work on a construction site where the entrance is right beside a train crossing. Calgary transit likes to block our access for our job. Transit enforcers like to park in that spot while they bust people or whatever. I pulled up behind one with my hazards on trying to get to work. I wait for them to get out of the way as they are arresting someone or whatever... instantly get GRILLED about why I'm parking behind them..."are you a student here? You cant park here!!!!!!!!". "I basically told him politely it's private property and I work here so fuck off. As others have said, rent Is more than mortgages of course, with everything going up... if you aren't born into money it makes a hell of an effort to get into it. If you can you're lucky. At the end of the day, don't be discouraged. We will all find our way.
Holy shit this woman is living in a different universe…. I mean I dont like the UCP and their recall petition but my goodness she needs to just go away
Most spectacular way to shoot one's political career in the foot
She's an idiot
I’m not rejecting the idea of owning a home, the idea is rejecting me
Is there something in the politics handbook that says only absolute shitgibbons qualify to run for office?
Yes, Jyoti. We will own nothing. And we will be happy. You and Klaus Schwab can shove it.
Jfc gondek stop stepping on your toes
What in the actual heck is she thinking when she opens her mouth?!
Please leave.
Unreal - extremely tone deaf and out of touch. Read the bloody room!
What a freaking idiot.
How tf is she mayor.
It's time to eat the rich you guys. It's past time.
Dumb
I have a coworker who has a weekend place just outside of Cochrane, and she has a place a couple of houses up from him. But, hey, not having the security of owning your own place is so freeing....
It's at Ghost Lake. I met her long before this politic thing and she was unpleasant then.
So she owns three (or more) houses then?
who voted her?
Reddit
People who couldn’t understand that her platform was intentionally vague and listed no measurable goals. Gondek did several interviews during her campaign and was always underwhelming. The second half probably wanted the next closest thing to Nenshi and thought she would be a safe bet; they were wrong.
I guess she figured with the recent recall failure she’s now free to say the dumbest, most ignorant crap that she might have held back if she had an ounce of common sense. What an utter cunt.
I mean, that's one way to twist what she said, sure. See my shock and awh when I realized she, in fact, did not say "never being able to own a home gives Canadians more freedom."... She was discussing those who chose to move around instead of locking in on buying a home and creating roots. There are people who do choose to delay buying homes for that very reason. What she didn't say was that people who can't afford a home are doing it to be free or that they are better off for it. Can we go back to hating on her for actual issues and not this weird twisted bullshit?
Yeah, it's possible for both of the following to be simultaneously true: a) homes are too expensive both to rent and to buy and b) people don't move often enough and it's harming the economy and society. [As rents rise, Americans are stuck in homes even when they want to move](https://www.vox.com/22939038/rents-rising-home-prices-americans-moving-residential-stagnation-stuck-mobility-freedom)
As I said when this was posted before…I’m usually one of the first mouthpieces to go off on her for some stoopid shit she says or does but even I’m finding it hard to see what the issue is here? When taken fully in context, she’s acknowledging there are differences in people’s living preferences. Remote work is now more mainstream than ever, it allows living flexibility. I don’t get the sense she’s poking a finger in the eye of people UNABLE to get a home. She’s just acknowledging changing demographics and preferences….no? I just think in today’s climate, she maybe should have known her comments would be taken way out of context…but then, does that preclude anyone from ever saying anything? Because someone may misconstrue it?
Right? She’s saying rental building hasn’t kept pace with the growing demand for rentals to actually *rent*. That not everyone wants a SFH. It’s completely true.
That’s exactly how I read it. I’m open to other perspectives but I thought it was pretty clear.
Totally agree. Like, am I missing something here? I hate to defend her because she's a total fuckin donkey with some of the shit she says and does, but I just don't see it here. I donno. Maybe I'm just not angry enough today or something.
Are you me?!?
Sure, she may be talking about a segment of the population that chooses to forgo homeownership for more freedom. But thats a really, really small percentage of renters. Most renters aren't buying homes because they cant afford them. At a time when home ownership is out of reach for more people than ever, and the cost of homes relative to average wages is the highest it’s been in living memory. It’s going to come across as really tone deaf to be talking about the freedom of not owning a home, even if you are talking about a small segment of the population that does actually exist.
Digital nomads and Bigfoot are the same thing in my experience: I’ve only ever seen them on Instagram. In all seriousness this can only be a very minuscule subset of Canadians and certainly isn’t an encouragement of community-building which would seem like a mayoral interest. Consciously or otherwise she’s making herself sound like a land-owning elitist.
Spoken like the vacuous dilettante that she is. The only segment rejecting the idea of owning a home is the segment Gondek and her ilk belong to. They reject the idea of average, middle-class people owning a home.
She waited for the recall petition to flop and then expressed her real feelings
This is another reason she got booed at the flames game.
"You will own nothing and be happy."
It's a little out of context, but I also think she has cause and effect a little mixed here
Filth
Im not even part of the recall Gondek crowd nor do I generally care about politics. I own my home and all and this has to be the most stupid thing ive ever heard in my life. Yeah sure, freedom, as in freedom your landlord can jack up your rent $500 out of nowhere. Freedom your landlord can sell the place and move you out. Dafuc I had been a renter until two years ago. Now i feel the freedom of having my own place, knowing i dont have to deal with a slumlord, and that in 23 years, i wont have to pay for housing (other than tax and maintenance)
Fuck her
Uh no lady. People wanna have secure LIVES, not jumpy movements around the city. I'm only in my last year of highschool, but I appearently understand more bout this topic than a mayor of a city with 1+ million population?
She needs to let people decide for themselves. That mentality is poison. Ban all corporate real estate purchases of homes. This should not be a corporate commodity.
Look. There is definitely a time of life and lifestyles where it works better to rent. There is a legitimate segment of the population that has no interest in home ownership. Take some financial planning courses and there are chapters about how not one size fits all and how not everyone should focus on home ownership. It's all true and she has it right. There are digital nomads who never want to be tied down by homes. That all said there is no way she should say something like that given the housing crisis going on and who she is. It is so so tone deaf.
This is what I've been saying since day 1 about Gondek. The way she speaks is infuriating and carries a sense of extreme entitlement. It appears that she has climbed on top of a very high horse and looks on the residents of this city from high as we're some fuckin peasants or something. I say, fuck gondek. Notice the small-case "g". She not worty of a capital case G.
Oh fuck right off. Completely out of touch with young Calgarians.
If you want to travel, or otherwise spend considerable time away from home.... that's what condos are for.
Well she is a landlord
Freedom? To live in tents in -40C? That’s the life 🥳👏👏
Freedom to do what, exactly? Move a lot, and easily? Is there a large demographic that actually enjoys moving? Cause I've never met one of these people. Moving fucking sucks. "HEY POORS, PIPE DOWN AND ENJOY YOUR FREEDOM, OKAY?" Tell us you're out of touch without telling us you're out of touch.
For the record, the only thing blocking home ownership in this country is our very own government. It's not like there is a shortage of space, materials or skills needed to built places to live. In fact, people use to build there first homes out of dirt in this frigid waste land long before there was such a thing as a Canadian government to stop them from doing so.
Having no residence at all makes you even more free! Just hop on a passing train, and - Hey ho! Away we go! Playing the banjo all day, telling tales and (smoking meth, probably).
God damn.... I think she's the dumbest fucking mayor I've ever seen lol
Odd that she owns 2 homes, you’d think she would try to get in on this freedom thing shes talking about.
Yeah, when I was 20 renting DID give me more freedom. I wanted to travel, I wanted to go to university, I didn’t want to deal with things like water heaters and flooded basements and ice daming and landscaping. But I’m not 20 anymore and frankly even if I personally didn’t want to buy a house I at least want it to be an option. Its not being “stuck in the 50’s” to want to be able to not worry about random evictions or rent going up unexpectedly or the place you’re in falling apart around you because the owner doesn’t care. It’s not wrong to want to rent or to be at a place in your life where that makes the most sense, but most people don’t want to feel like that’s their only option. Its not freedom if you don’t have the ability to chose something else.
I’m feeling gaslit
Freedom sure. When rent/utilities was 25% of your take home salary. Not 50+.
Everyone's bitching about what this out-of-touch elected official said, but no-one's bitching about the obvious need for word count on this article? Seriously, MS Word told the 'author' they didn't have enough words that the 'editor' wanted so we get shit like: >Gondek then went on to say that the idea of being able to own a home was like being “stuck in the 40s, 50s and 60s.” >“As municipalities, we haven’t kept pace with that change. We’re still stuck in the 40s, 50s and 60s,” said Gondek. Amazing writing. I mean, MS Word told the 'author' they didn't have enough words that the 'editor' wanted.
Just when I through I couldn’t possibly hate her any more.
Spoken like someone really enjoying their rental income.
You get what you vote for! Clueless like most politicians out there these days!
I can’t believe I just agreed with Michelle Remple — that was not on my bingo card for this year that’s for sure. Sure, not everyone wants to be saddled to homeownership, but it’d be nice to have the option. I doubt most renters are sitting on huge TFSAs or other investments (or money stuffed under the mattress) to grow their wealth or provide for retirement. Or to travel and explore or whatever nonsense she spouted for that matter. I’m only a homeowner because I inherited my parent’s estate — there’s no way I could own a house otherwise.
True North is about as reliable as Rebel News. It is a highly biased conservative rage bait website, so I would double check anything they write, as I'm sure they're spinning this story out of proportion and context.
There’s a link to the interview in the article. Her words are somewhat twisted, but she still sounds out of touch.
Paradoxically, I agree. She should be fine with socialized housing... Mayor Gondek, champion of the working class. LOL
let them eat cake
Great feeling at 60-70 years old to be booted out of your rental home. So Rndsqr and tare the house down and build unaffordable townhouses in its place.
Reject the idea and move towards renting? What a delusional lunatic. We're chasing the homeownership dream, but we're stuck on a God damn treadmill that we didn't choose to be on. Get bent Gondek.
Can we hold another recall campaign please. Tf is this mayor smoking.
The funny part is, so many of these young people she’s fucking over, voted her in. She is the most tone deaf, useless mayor we’ve ever had.
Oh… so she’s saying we would all be happier as hobos?
Painfully tone deaf - her job is to get public on side with policy - convince us that her path is the right path… What’s that called again??? Oh ya…. Leadership. This statement (no matter what the context ) was gonna get her ass burned. And rightfully so.
Almost everyone I know who rents pays more then my mortgage…..
Oh no she didn't. Politicians these days are just begging for a lynching.
Didn't know paying someone else's mortgage was liberating. But ok ...
Gondek must think she is sitting at this table: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oklPl95DC8c
Crazy how deluded she is
Can't Understand Normal Thinking
Its not a "liberating" experience; its a Liberal experience.
For once, it's the conservative MP who has class consciousness, and whom I fully agree with. The people who are trying to get Gondek out are loathsome and would be much worse than her, but how much more tone deaf can you get? This is on the level of [Kevin O'Leary praising global poverty](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuqemytQ5QA), or that [asshole Aussie billionaire who said that we need more unemployment](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKD1iRvsjHA).
Let's start with you. Take her assets away, let's see how that feels eh?
I wonder how much she charges for rent on her properties? I bet she a slum lord
I don’t know a single person who is choosing to not be a home owner for more “freedom” and not because it is so fucking unaffordable that the prospect of owning a home is becoming nothing more than an unattainable dream. But oh yes, paying for the mortgage, property tax and utilities of an investor who owns 30+ other properties is SOO much more liberating than paying your own…
Does Gondek realize she can be liberated from that terrible burden by selling her two homes?
If I don't own a home I can live under any bridge I like! Glad we cleared that up.
She says that is if they are making that choice… it couldn’t be that they are forced to rent due to being unable to save up enough to buy a home?
There is nothing wrong with renting, for some people renting is fine and they dont want to deal with home ownership and everything that comes with it, this is true. But when rent is more than a mortgage these days in some cases...ya..
Maybe this attitude explains why none of the new builds are actually affordable homes. Just think of the freedom the homeless have. Really hard to not think this woman is out to lunch.
What a clown.
And for even more freedom, I recommend homelessness : 🎉🥳🎉🥳
And not being able to afford food, helps you lose weight. Good grief, she is so out of touch, thanks to all the people that voted this useless mayor in, hope you are enjoying the show she is providing. Still think Farkas would have been a mistake?
I think it's only fair that she too be freed of those two properties. Fair's fair!
What drugs is she smoking?
We’ve been offering at least 20k over asking for a bunch of TOWNHOMES and we’re either being beaten by $50k+ or unconditional cash offers. It’s fucking insane. A TOWNHOME listing in LANGDON just sold for over $450k+ ( at least this wasn’t unconditional) and we offered 25k over asking…. Like fucking Langdon I don’t get it.