Youth vote futile

There is absolutely no point in voting in the province of Quebec. On Monday, as I voted in my riding of Chambly-Borduas and watched the results unfold, it really felt as though I was wasting my time. It's not only me who holds this opinion, but many of my peers in the 18–30 age bracket. I mean, what's the point in voting in this province when there's no actual race among our supposed four major parties?! It's frustrating, especially among non-Bloc supporters who'd rather vote with their minds then with their hearts!

» Johnny Voter

Bloc shock

There aren't polls to prove it, but I have the feeling that this week's election saw by far the strongest support of a separatist party by anglo voters in Canadian history. If nothing else, it's telling of a fickle electorate, wooed by a leader's debating charisma over decidedly more significant issues - like their platform. But boy oh boy did our tele-politico culture rear its ugly head this morning, replaying over and over that sinister soundbite from Gilles Duceppe: "We didn't make a decision on sovereignty... But Quebecers gave their support to a sovereigntist party. Nobody can deny that tonight!" Mwaaahahaha!

» Jason Durst

Shame on Canadians

I'm ashamed with a lot of Canadians who support the Liberals. What does it say when we allow our government to steal from a nation that is struggling to make ends meet? We're talking about billions of dollars wasted. The whole nation cries about no money in their pocket, about health care, etc., but you reward the Liberals with another chance to continue the corruption and destruction of Canada and Quebec.

I don't care who else you think deserves your vote, but it's wrong to tell the Liberals that we're idiots and it's okay the steal from us. And don't give me that excuse that there's no alternative because there is. Until others have a chance to prove themselves, you can't paint them with the Liberal corruption and lies brush.

The Conservatives may be what Quebec needs, as Stephen Harper wants to give the provinces more control - this is what Quebec has wanted for years. They shouldn't be discarded out of fear. Many Canadians are respecting the people of Quebec for their display of intelligence by not accepting the Liberal corruption.

» G. Cartier, Toronto

Devilish landlords

Kristian Gravenor's seemingly timely exposé "Bad landlords" [June 24] ought have been published in March, when many tenants are apartment-hunting in haste and overlooking key inspections. Really there ought to be a public, non-official Better Slumlords Bureau on the Internet - weeding out the libellous allegations, of course.

Slumlords attract the vulnerable, with their all-inclusive low rents - the inarticulate, the poor, elderly and immigrants who dare not complain. When tenants do consider filing complaints to the Régie or to city inspectors, they're discouraged by the backlogged cases running two years, so they break "bail" and leave the unfixed issues with the next chump. Also, tenants seldom exercise the same right to screen prospective landlords with property-checks at the Régie, while landlords often demand background on prospective occupants.

Here is what I've learned so far: there is a reason that some revolving-door apartments are often vacant in off-seasons like winter. It's because of factors such as paper-thin insulation from cold and noise, tampered heat knobs and mildew from humidity. This often happens in older buildings with "character" in hip areas like St-Henri, Verdun, the Plateau and Mile-End.

A few suggestions for prospective tenants:

1. See the apartment with your own army of "inspectors," ie. construction-savvy experts posing as friends or witnesses. If His Slumliness doesn't show up at the lease signing so he/she won't negotiate on supplying paint, missing parts or fixing pre-move repairs, there's a good chance Mr. Invisible won't heed your calls the whole lease long. Sometimes even corporate landlords in Belgium are surprisingly more responsible at managing your apartment from afar than locals.

2. Don't sign if you're coerced into giving a deposit, SIN or credit card number; it's illegal, yet they do it anyway, proving their unkosher ethics from the get-go. If they have your credit card number, cancel your card as soon as you see the lordship passing their repair bills onto you.

3. Verbal agreements don't mean shit.

If your legitimate demands are ignored and your letters ruffle feathers, the invisible landlord will use unsavoury tactics. These include psychologically harassing you into leaving via the superintendent, who acts as intermediate; flatly turning the tables on you as shit disturber by rounding up the false witnesses on the landlord's payroll, such as the under-the-table Mr. Fixit; and re-possessing the residence for "family" for six months, then hiking the rent.

That last point was raised by the Comité du logement du Plateau (527-3495), which called for a moratorium on repossessions and demanded a new policy of lease registration at the provincial level as overseers, since the two-parties contract side-steps the Board. You've omitted that organization in your detailed resource section, as well as Côte-des-Neiges's Project Genesis free storefront clinic (739-3469) and POPIR (4281 Notre-Dame W., 935-4649).

But always be on your best behaviour because no-paying, peace-disturbing tenants who abandon pets or vandalize their rental units give the rest of us a bad name.

» Bernie Van Thorne

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