>> ROOMING HOUSES MIGHT SOUND LIKE OUT OF VICTORIAN ENGLAND. BUT NOT THAT LONG AGO,
THEY WERE ACTUALLY A VERY COMMON FORM OF HOUSING HERE. WITH US NOW FOR A QUICK HISTORY LESSON,
FROM THE BEACH IN ONTARIO'S CAPITAL: PHILIPPA CAMPSIE, PRINCIPAL WITH
HAMMERSMITH COMMUNICATIONS, AND AN ADJUNCT PROFESSOR IN GEOGRAPHY AND PLANNING AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO.
WELCOME.
WHAT MAKES SOMETHING A ROOMING HOUSE?
>> IT INVOLVES A SHARED FACILITY.
PEOPLE RENT A ROOM AND SHARE A KITCHEN OR A BATHROOM OR BOTH.
THEY ALSO PAY THEIR RENT DIRECTLY TO A LANDLORD.
SO IT'S DIFFERENT TO A GROUP OF PEOPLE SHARING AND THERE ARE ROOMING HOUSES THAT MAY HAVE 20
OR 60 PEOPLE OR MORE.
>> TYPICALLY WHO LIVES THERE?
>> WELL, IF YOU ASKED ME THAT 20 YEARS AGO, I WOULD HAVE SAID THAT MOST OF THE PEOPLE LIVING
IN ROOMING HOUSES WERE VERY LOW-INCOME PEOPLE THAT THEY MIGHT OR MIGHT NOT BE EMPLOYED.
TODAY, ROOMING HOUSES HOUSE ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE.
A LOT OF STUDENTS AND IN FACT YEARS AGO WHEN I WAS A STUDENT I LIVED IN A ROOMING HOUSE.
THEY HOUSE IMMIGRANTS OR FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN.
ANYBODY WHO CANNOT AFFORD TO RENT A SELF-CONTAINED UNIT, A ROOMING HOUSE IS THE CHEAPEST
OPTION AVAILABLE.
>> LET'S TAKE THE CITY WE'RE IN NOW.
WHEN DID ROOMING HOUSES BECOME A THING IN THIS CITY?
>> AFTER THE SECOND WORLD WAR.
IT WAS COMMON TO TAKE IN LODGERS AS A WAY TO PAY EXPENSES.
AFTER THE WAR THAT WAS LESS OF THE NORM.
OLD HOUSES WERE BOUGHT UP AND TURNED INTO SINGLE-ROOM OCCUPANCY ROOMING HOUSES.
THERE WAS A LOT OF HOUSING THAT WERE NOT CONSIDERED VALUABLE.
IT IS NOW, BUT AT THE TIME, IT WAS CONSIDERED OF NO INTEREST.
THESE OLD HOUSES WERE DIVIDED UP TO BE CREATED TO ROOMING HOUSES.
>> IN PARKDALE IT IS OLDER STATELY MANSIONS CONVERTED TO ROOMING HOUSES.
ANY SENSE OF WHY IT TURNED OUT THAT WAY?
>> I THINK THE GROWTH OF THE SUBURBS OF THE 1950s, PEOPLE COULD GO AND BUY BRAND NEW
HOUSES.
THESE OLDER HOUSES ARE EXPENSIVE TO KEEP UP, THEY ARE EXPENSIVE AND DRAFTY AND HAVE OLD
WIRING.
IT WAS MORE ATTRACTIVE FOR FAMILIES TO MOVE OUT TO HOUSING.
THESE ELEPHANTS WERE LEFT AND THE ONLY PEOPLE WILLING TO TAKE THEM WERE ROOMING HOUSE OWNERS.
>> IF THERE'S ONE THING ABOUT THEM, IS CONTROVERSY SEEMS TO FOLLOW THEM WHEREVER THEY GO.
WHY IS THAT?
>> PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO LIVE IN THE SAME NEIGHBOURHOOD AS ROOMING HOUSES.
SOMETIMES THEY FEAR A NUMBER OF THINGS ABOUT ROOMING HOUSES.
IN THE OLD DAYS THEY USED TO FEAR THE PEOPLE WHO LIVED IN ROOMING HOUSES WERE NOT THE
PEOPLE THEY WANTED AS NEIGHBOURS.
NOW THE FEARS ARE DIFFERENT.
NOW THAT THERE ARE SUBURBAN ROOMING HOUSES, THERE ARE FEARS ABOUT PARKING, FEARS OF PROPERTY
MAINTENANCE.
IF NO ONE IS LIVING THERE, MAINTENANCE, OR STUDENTS, PROBLEMS WITH NOISE.
IT'S NOT REALLY THE HOUSES THEY FEAR, IT'S THE KIND OF PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN THE HOUSES.
PEOPLE HAVE A LOT OF PREJUDICES AND PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS ABOUT THOSE WHO LIVE IN THE HOUSES.
>> YOU SAY PREJUDICES OR PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS.
IT'S NOT A STRANGE THING TO THINK IF THERE ARE STUDENTS IT WILL BE LOUD AT 2100 OR 2:00 IN
THE MORNING.
IS THAT A PREJUDICE OR A CONCERN?
>> THE GREATER PROBLEM IS THE HOUSES THAT STUDENTS RENT AS A UNIT.
A GROUP OF FRIENDS THAT THEY RENT TOGETHER IS MORE LIKELY TO HAVE A PARTY ON A SATURDAY NIGHT
THAT GETS OUT OF HAND THAN A NUMBER OF PEOPLE RENTING TOGETHER THAT DON'T KNOW EACH
OTHER WILL BE LESS NOISY.
>> YOU MENTIONED THAT THIS PRACTICE GOES BACK DECADES AND DECADES.
ARE THESE CONCERNS ABOUT THE TYPE OF PERSON THAT LIVES IN A ROOMING HOUSE, HAVE THOSE
CONCERNS ALWAYS BEEN THERE?
>> I THINK SO.
I THINK PEOPLE WHO ARE HOMEOWNERS ARE OFTEN PREJUDICED AGAINST PEOPLE WHO ARE RENTERS
AGAINST PEOPLE WITH LOW INCOMES.
I THINK THAT'S ALWAYS THE CASE.
>> THERE ARE 350 ROOMING HOUSES IN OLD TORONTO.
ANY IDEA HOW MANY UNLICENSED ROOMING HOUSES THERE ARE IN THE 416?
>> HOW LONG IS A PIECE OF STRING?
NOBODY CAN TELL.
THESE THINGS ARE INVISIBLE AND THE LANDLORDS TAKE CARE TO KEEP THEM THAT WAY.
THEY DON'T WANT PEOPLE KNOWING THEY ARE OPERATING OUTSIDE THE REGULATIONS AND OPERATING
UNLICENSED ROOMING HOUSES.
THERE ARE UNLICENSED ROOMING HOUSES THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF TORONTO AND IN ETOBICOKE AND
NORTH YORK AND EAST YORK AND SCARBOROUGH.
>> IS IT THAT THE CITY DOESN'T CLAMP DOWN ON THESE?
>> IF THERE ARE COMPLAINTS, THE CITY WILL INVESTIGATE AND SOMETIMES IT IS FORCED TO APPLY
THE RULES.
I THINK IT IS RELUCTANT TO DO SO BECAUSE IT DOES NOT WANT TO DESTROY AFFORDABLE HOUSING, BUT
SOMETIMES IT IS IN A POSITION WHERE IT IS FORCED TO CLOSE THE HOUSE DOWN.
>> WHY DOES IT SEEM LIKE THERE ARE SO MANY FEWER ROOMING HOUSES TODAY THAN 20 OR 30 YEARS AGO?
>> LICENSING CAN CAUSE PROBLEMS.
WHEN THE CITY BRINGS IN LICENSING ONE OF THREE HAPPENS.
THE RESPONSIBLE PEOPLE WILL GET THE LICENCES AND STAY IN BUSINESS.
SOME PEOPLE WILL LOOK AT THE COST OF UPGRADING THE HOUSE TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS AND SAY
THEY CAN'T DO THAT AND PERHAPS GO OUT OF BUSINESS.
PERHAPS THEY'VE BEEN IN THE BUSINESS FOR A LONG TIME AND THINK IT'S NOT WORTH IT TO MAKE
THOSE CHANGES AND SPEND ALL OF THAT MONEY AND GO OUT OF BUSINESS.
PERHAPS THERE ARE SOME LESS CONSCIENTIOUS OWNERS WHO DON'T GET A LICENCE.
THEY DON'T DISAPPEAR, BUT THE CITY CANNOT INCLUDE THEM IN THEIR NUMBERS.
>> MOST PEOPLE WHEN THEY SAY I DON'T WANT A ROOMING HOUSE IN MY NEIGHBOURHOOD, THEY SAY IT'S
INCONSISTENT WITH THE STREETSCAPE OR OUR STABLE NEIGHBOUR.
MY QUESTION IS HOW MUCH OF THAT IS ON THE LEVEL AND HOW MUCH IS CODE FOR SOMETHING MORE
NEFARIOUS?
>> THAT'S A DIFFICULT QUESTION.
THERE CAN BE DISTURBANCES, AS YOU MENTIONED, WITH STUDENTS.
THERE CAN BE NOISE.
THERE CAN BE LOTS OF EXTRA CARS.
SOMETIMES THERE ARE EXTRA CARS AND SOMETIMES YOU NEED A CAR.
THERE CAN BE PROBLEMS.
THERE ARE SOME LEGITIMATE PROBLEMS THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED.
I THINK, YES, A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE COMPLAIN ABOUT, QUITE OFTEN PEOPLE
BELIEVE IT WILL AFFECT THEIR PROPERTY VALUES.
STUDIES SHOW THAT'S NOT THE CASE.
THE FACT IS THESE THINGS ARE INVISIBLE.
IT DOESN'T AFFECT THE STREETSCAPE IF YOU HAVE TOO MANY CARS.
IT DOESN'T AFFECT ANYTHING.
THERE ARE ROOMING HOUSES ON THE BEACHES AND I DON'T NOTICE THEM.
YES, THE -- AND THE OWNER OF A ROOMING HOUSE, THE SENSIBLE OWNERS KNOW THAT BECAUSE THEY
ARE LICENSING OUTSIDE THE REGIME, THEY KNOW TO KEEP THE PROPERTY CLEAN AND GARBAGE IS
PICKED UP SO IT DOESN'T ATTRACT ATTENTION.
>> THANK YOU FOR COMING ON TVO AND TELLING US ABOUT THEM.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.