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CKMS Community Connections for 31 July 2023 with Megan Ruttan of Waterloo Region ACORN

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Show Notes

Megan Ruttan (a woman wearing a summer dress and a grey N95 mask sitting at a microphone with a blue sock on it)
Megan Ruttan
ACORN CANADA ( white line drawing of an acorn in an '@' sign, with text curving along the botton, all on a red background)
 

Megan Ruttan of Waterloo Region ACORN joins Bob Jonkman to talk about evictions, renovictions, tenants’ rights, and setting up a tenants’ union in Waterloo Region.

The interview starts at 10m02s.

ACORN was previously on CKMS News on 23 June 2023, 17 June 2023, and 7 June 2023.

Waterloo Region ACORN:

ACORN Canada:

Meg Ruttan Online:

Other:

Upcoming Events

Podcast

Download: ckms-community-connections-2023-07-31-episode135-Meg-Ruttan-of-Waterloo-Region-ACORN.mp3 (50 MB, 54m11s, episode 135)

Index

Time Title Album Artist
0m00s Theme for CKMS Community Connections ccc CKMS Sunflower logo (yellow petals surrounding a black centre with white wavies all on a teal background)
CKMS Community Connections 		Steve Todd
1m02s Black Eyed Suzie Foul Weather Friends | Onion Honey (illustration of a snail on a mushroom, a mouse, and two frogs, all sheltering from the rain under a leaf)
Foul Weather Friends 		Onion Honey
2m51s 4 All The Animals 4 all the Animals | (Save The World) | VEFO | Prod. GuruuuV (green and purple lettering on a background of a green sky with orange clouds, there's a picture of a pig's snout in the middle)
(single) 		VEFO
6m35s Unknown Monster Genre-Bending P2 | GuruuuV (purple letters on a swirly purple background)
Genre-Bending Pt. 2 (Beat Challenge) 		GuruuuV
6m41s try and catch me next time
7m42s Shake the House
10m02s Introducing Megan Ruttan and ACORN: The Association for Community Organizations for Reform Now, a low- to moderate-income tenants union, but they take on any issues that their members want to take on, for example payday loans. The union is just getting set up now to help fight renovictions and demovictions. Megan herself is experiencing attempts at renoviction. This has been happening for at least six years. This pre-dates ACORN, but ACORN would have fought it by drawing attention to it by direct action such as protests. There have been rallies against other renovictions in Kitchener. Landlords intimidate tenants by withholding information, so that tenants do not know what their rights are, or even who their landlord is. ACORN in Hamilton has helped create a by-law that makes it illegal to evict people in Hamilton for renovations. But each municipality will have different by-laws. ACORN has just held a national day of action on the financialization of housing. They’re asking for a law that will give first right of refusal will go to housing organizations, co-ops, and other businesses that want to build affordable housing. Waterloo Region ACORN has about 500 members; about 15 full members who pay $15/month in dues, but many people can’t afford that. Waterloo Region ACORN started about three months ago, in April.
19m44s Beam Blues Live Nick Bordman | Beam Blues | (Live at Locust Ridge Studios) (black and white photo of a man with a beard and wearing a cowboy outfit leaning against a sporty-looking car)
(YouTube) 		Nick Bordman
23m59s Waterloo Region ACORN has a three month plan, meeting in August to plan an action to take place in September. They’re building membership; anyone is welcome to join, not just renters. The August meeting will be hybrid, both in-person and online for Covid safety. The national organization in Ottawa and the chapter in London have provided a lot of help in the form of flyers, handouts, mailing lists, &c. The money from dues goes towards copying costs and SDCWR for use of their facilities. The entire region of Waterloo has an epidemic of unsheltered people. The chapter was named Waterloo Region ACORN to include everyone in the region; it’s not just a Kitchener issue.
28m47s “The financialization of housing” treats housing as an investment, not as shelter or homes, or as a human right. Municipalities are not building purpose-built rental housing; many politicians to make this happen to own rental properties, and seem disinclined to reduce their holdings to build affordable housing. Globally, the climate crisis is creating climate refugees, who need housing. Do we have shelter for these people? We need to build housing. The municipalities need to build the housing, not just pass by-laws or re-zones. The City of Kitchener is not acting to build housing or reduce renovictions when they had the chance to vote on zoning changes. Their answer seems to be to police housing. If they don’t build housing, people will die. Who could be affected by the housing crisis? Almost every renter. What happens with the laws that require landlords to provide the renovated units to former tenants? It gets ignored, landlords just rent to new, higher-paying tenants. People in this situation don’t have the capacity, “the spoons”, to deal with this. Megan has the spoons to deal with this because she’s connected in the community, and knows the resources.
38m14s How did Waterloo Region ACORN get started here? There were already people with memberships in other chapters; people contacted the national chapter; they already had a mailing list! Everything is connected, Megan was already active in climate organizing, political organization; if one issue is advanced, the others are too.
39m36s Who’s Gonna Suffer FOG Blues & Brass Band | Twelve Bar Prescription (B&W photo of band members centered on a blue background, typeface as though made from shiny cut metal)
Twelve Bar Prescription 		FOG Blues & Brass Band
43m04s How do people get involved if they have no background in tenant organization? Come to the meeting in August, ACORN will provide training on door knocking, &c. They’ll knock on the doors of tenants to let them know help is available. They’ve reached out to local politicians, but not all have responded. Talking about other events where ACORN has had a presence. Giving credit to Maribel and other leaders, their appearances in local media.
48m25s What about all the local construction? It’s mostly condominiums, only 15% affordable housing. Condos aren’t affordable housing. The tenants’ union is the opposite of a Home Owners’ Association, the union lifts you up, doesn’t repress your rights.
50m36s Reviewing Waterloo Region ACORN‘s presence on social media. Talking about Project Mushroom, an online presence for social activists. It had some setbacks when the founder discovered it could not be monetized, but Megan and others are still keeping it alive.
53m12s Bob gives the end credits.

CKMS Community Connections Hour One airs on CKMS-FM 102.7 on Monday from 11:00am to Noon, and Hour Two airs alternate Fridays from 3:00pm to 4:00pm.

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Bonus Video

YouTube: CKMS Community Connections for Monday 31 July 2023

Show notes and podcast interview content is Copyright © 2023 by the participants, and released under a CC BYCreative Commons Attribution Only license. Copy, re-use, and derivative works are allowed with attribution to Radio Waterloo and a link to this page. Music selections are copyright by the respective rights holders.

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