Re: Paul F. Thomas’ view on suites in Oak Bay (Letters, April 13).
I personally take exception to his tirade about pizza plates, needles and condoms on the lawns of Oak Bay if council allows secondary suites. What planet are you living on Mr. Thomas?
I have two homes in Saanich, both with suites.
The first home has a family with two children up and a family with one child down.
Our second has University of Victoria students in both suites. I have been a landlord for many years and funny, I have yet to find a single needle or condom in my yards. In fact, all I have is fruit trees, bicycles and play equipment.
The overwhelming small-mindedness in the opposition to suites in Oak Bay is infuriating to me. Where would you like my very fine and decent tenants to live when they don’t have the option to buy a house? Are you really so afraid of the bogey man that you cannot see how difficult it is for young families and students to get respectable housing?
Regulate yourself to death on the suites if that is what makes you happy, but stop insinuating that all renters are drug addicts, sexual deviants and otherwise less than human because they don’t own a house.
For every one bad tenant there are thousands of caring, wonderful, house-proud people who would love nothing more than to live in such a beautiful neighbourhood. Equally, for every one bad landlord there are thousands of outstanding landlords providing a viable answer to an overwhelming problem we have in this city.
S.M. Gallagher
Oak Bay