CFHA Residential Housing Unit (RHU)-old PMQ [MERGED]

[R@chel]

We live in a 3 bdrm duplex in Ed. on base and our rent is only $640.  It's completely redone and really pretty nice inside.  Plus we have a full backyard.  I pait $200 more for a 2 bdrm apartment in Southern, ON.

I know ppl who live off base here in Ed. and they pay either the same or more than us.

Houses are really expensive though.

 

[Mike B.]

I had a question regarding a move that I am having in January. I will be going to Halifax for roughly 9 months or close to a year for my equipment phase. I'm not entitled to purchase a house, so rather than try and find a decent apartment to rent I was wondering if St. Laurent Block had single rooms as opposed to have 2 per room? Can Leading Seamen get a single room as per single quarters? I'm almost sure A-Block doesn't have singles, so that's where St. Laurent Block comes into play. I wasn't sure if they were for MS and above or not. If so is it as simple as requesting a single room down at accomodations at Stad?

Also anyone have any experience in the single rooms in St. Laurent Block? (I'm assuming they are about half of the size of the normal 2 per room in the mods.

 

[parkhill]

I have heard that the housing on base is being renovated just like the reast of the base's, is casino, leary, etc all goin to have it done?

 

[Roy Harding]

Yhea, but it made me glad to be a seller.

I bought a house in Fort Saskatchewan in 1996 for 95K.  I sold it in Dec 06 for 258K (after reducing the price by about 7K for a quick possession (we needed to get out of there, as we had already bought here in Terrace).

I too am glad to have been a seller.  On the other hand - the price I got was, in my opinion, OBSCENE.  The house was nothing special - a 1970(ish) bi-level (also known as a raised rancher), about 1000 sq ft.  Two car detached garage - no fireplace, no a/c, nothing fancy, just your average "working man's house".  I felt sorry for the young couple buying it - hell I couldn't afford to buy my own house!!

The housing market in Edmonton (and as I understand it - the remainder of Alberta) is outrageous.  Regardless, if you can POSSIBLY do it - buy a house/townhouse/condo, whatever.  The sooner you do it, the sooner you'll be mortgage free.  Even if you sell for less than you bought (this happened to me TWICE), your loss will still not be as much as rent would have cost you, AND you will have increased your equity.

Being mortgage free is probably one of the most satisfying experiences of my life. The sooner you start paying one, the sooner you'll be done paying it.

Just a thought.


Roy

 

[mckee19]

k this might have been covered but i only skimmed over the 14 pages of posts, but how much does the single bedroom barracks cost in edmonton?
and say if your posted to Canadian Forces base, what are the chances of being reposted and buggering up everything you have set up with the buying of a home and what not?

 

[honestyrules]

Good day,

Jeez....I got Bagotville...
It is my turn to post in here as I'm posted from Gagetown to Bagotville. I would like to know what the situation is reference the Q's over there. It seams that the rowhouse's rent is higher than individual units... strange to say the least. Also, what about the cost of services (hydro-gas).


Regards,

 

[3rd Horseman]

It is always better to buy your home as early as possible in your carrier. The price normally always goes up. Don't wait till your 10 years away from retirement cause you will be paying for that home on your reduced income. If you buy in the first few years of your carrier you will have your home paid off by the time you reach your first retirement date at 25 years or sooner. If you do this you can then buy a second income property and have it paid for by the time you fully retire giving you an income and much equity. $600 to $650 per month will get you at 100,000 of mortgage, better to pay yourself then the landlord.

At least that's a realtors point of view...but then I guess I'm bias.

3rd Horseman
Your Remax Realtor at Gagetown (ya I know bad plug)

 

[Bigmac]

Soldiers get the shaft

By ANDREW HANON

When was the last time you heard a Canadian military joke?

It wasn’t that long ago that the Canadian Forces provided ample fodder for stand-up comedians and smartass media pundits who built an industry by mocking our military as ill-equipped, ineffectual, and, well, just too Canadian to be a force to be reckoned with.

Remember the derisive laughter in the opening weeks of the struggle in Afghanistan, Canada’s most significant engagement in two generations?

Can you recall the stab of shame you felt when the troops rolled out of the belly of their transport planes into the blistering Central Asian dustbowl, decked out in their lurid green camouflage, looking like decorative, potted fir trees imported to bring some colour to the sandy grey desert?

The nation covered its embarrassment by being the first to laugh at them, a sort of pre-emptive strike against the rest of the NATO countries, which seemed infinitely more prepared.

And, as it has every other time Canada has gone to war, the federal government was shamed out of its complacency and started putting resources back into the military.

Since those opening stumbles, Canadian soldiers have proven themselves to be a formidable presence – stalwart, honourable, determined and, when it’s required, lethal.

Nobody’s joking now.

Every time a soldier returns to Canada in a body bag, we’re reminded again of the gravity of the situation and the selflessness of the troops.

Whether or not you support the Afghanistan mission, you cannot deny that Canadian soldiers are bringing honour to the entire nation. It’s a disgrace that we can’t return the favour, by acting honourably toward the troops and their families.

First, there was the scandal over sticking some dead soldiers’ families with funeral costs.

Then there were revelations that the military is hanging out to dry the families of soldiers stationed in Edmonton, where the real estate market is boiling over and there’s precious little on-base housing.

One soldier I spoke with is being transferred here from CFB Gagetown in New Brunswick, where he and his family lived on an acreage that he figures is worth about $90,000.

One-bedroom apartments are selling for twice that much in Edmonton these days, never mind places big enough for a family of four – including two young children. As for finding a place to rent, forget about it.

“If I could afford the rents, I could afford a mortgage,” says the soldier.

In all likelihood, he says, he’ll move into the barracks and leave his family in New Brunswick until a house on the base becomes available. But that, he says, will likely take more than a year, and in that time he could be shipped off to battle in Afghanistan.

Some soldiers, I have been told, have opted to live as far away as Red Deer, two hours south of Edmonton, where they can find more affordable housing.

Perhaps the most disgusting aspect of this is that it’s totally unnecessary.

When the feds sold off the nearby Griesbach base to develop into a swanky subdivision, the developer kept more than 500 units of the old military housing as rental properties.

The top priority, I’m told, was for military use, but over the years the Canadian Forces Housing Authority has been phasing out using those units, which are in turn rented out to the general public.

Only a handful of those old units are still used by the military, while the wait-list for units on the base continues to grow. If the situation wasn’t such an insult to our troops and their loved ones, it’d be a joke.

     I was posted to Edmonton '93 to '97. I lived in a PMQ duplex at Greisbach (10315 149 Ave, still remember the address) and was thankful they were available as the housing market, even back then, was expensive. Affordable housing for military members is becoming a thing of the past. The government wants to sell off most of the PMQ's as they did in Greisbach. Unfortunately even the PMQs are becoming overly priced now and good luck getting anything repaired in a timely manner! I lived in a PMQ when I was first posted to Petawawa but the price started to become ridiculous for the tiny 2 bedroom PMQ I was given. Luckily I bought a house in '03 when the market was still good and left PMQs. A large number of CF members cannot afford to buy a house the PMQ rates on some bases are absolutely overpriced for the accommodations you get. I am sure PMQs are still a cheaper option in Edmonton though.
     
     Should the reigns be taken away from CFHA? Are PMQs viable in todays CF? Sound off everyone.

 

[GAP]

Please supply a link to your article.

 

[Bigmac]

     My apologies, both for not finding previous forum and forgetting to paste article link. Damned KRAFT disease!

http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Columnists/Hanon_Andrew/2007/06/04/4232524.html

 

[bily052]

Here in Kingston, I found that after but 1 yr of living in the Q's, I had enough.  The difference a year and a half ago that CFHA wanted to jack my rent to compared to my Mortgage is about $28.00.  (not even a case of beer)  My drive is a little longer, 22km vice across hwy 2, but if I can at all help it, I'll never be in Q's again.  The crooks CFHA will never get another penny from me!

billy

 

[Pte_Martin]

For me it seems whenever i have a problem (which is alot of times) It takes CFHA forever to come fix

 

[scas]

Are the waiting list really that crazy in Edmonton for Q's has anyone had problems who may have moved there recently! were just wondering because each time we call they always have something different to say and its nothing good my wife is waiting back in Borden until something comes available with 2 kids and due in September and September is when they "say" we should have a Q but since things always change when we call we don't really believe it anymore anyone know if this crazy waiting list

 

[camochick]

At one point last year we were looking for somewhere new to rent and we decided to get on the PMQ list because the rent was reasonable and in Edmonton, it's not always easy to find available rental housing, and over the span of six months we went from being 20th on the list to 35th on the list and they said it would be atleast another year until we got a Q, so that should answer your question, although we were told that people posting in got priority.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Shared in accordance with the "fair dealing" provisions, Section 29, of the Copyright Act.

Nelson warns feds
Kapyong site to be held 'hostage' in 'legal limbo'
ROSS ROMANIUK, Winnipeg Sun, 18 Jun 07
Article link

The controversial chief of a Manitoba First Nation is vowing to hold Winnipeg's Kapyong Barracks site "hostage" until federal government officials hand over all the land his reserve is owed under a 135-year-old treaty.

Chief Terry Nelson of Roseau River First Nation issued the warning yesterday while discussing commercial enterprises planned for the band's newest reserve site just northwest of the city.

Federal Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice conferred official reserve status last Tuesday on about 75 acres of land recently purchased by the band in the Rural Municipality of Rosser. The chief stressed, however, that Prentice's move still leaves nearly 5,800 acres to be designated as reserve land for Roseau according to a 1996 settlement of a lawsuit in the matter.

He also insists the mothballed Kapyong military base, vacated by the Canadian Forces five years ago, should be transferred to First Nations control because it's "prime property."

"We're basically going to hold that hostage," Nelson said of the Tuxedo site, which has long been touted as ideal for commercial and residential development.

STOP DEVELOPMENT

"I'm going to keep it from being developed until they settle with us on our lands. We're going to keep that in legal limbo. We'll run them through court until such time as they deal with the land quantum for the reserves."

Nelson's tough talk comes as First Nations across Canada prepare for a "national day of action" on June 29 to push Ottawa to settle native land claims. The protest could include highway and railway blockades.

He and members of the Roseau reserve, 80 kilometres south of Winnipeg, will meet tomorrow to decide whether the federal reserve allowance in Rosser should spur them to withdraw any blockades they have planned.

Meanwhile, the Roseau band has ambitious business plans for the Rosser site near the north Perimeter Highway that it purchased from a private owner for about $600,000 several months ago.

"You will see a gas station there in a month and a half, ready for operation. That's the first order of business," said Nelson said, citing Swan Lake First Nation's reserve site and gaming lounge in Headingley as a model for the site.

"You will see, within maybe two to three years or maybe not even that, a car dealership for sure. You will see a restaurant, of course, and a VLT lounge pretty quickly," he said. "You're going to see a furniture warehouse. You're going to see quite a bit of development."

However, municipal approval is needed for such projects and the RM of Rosser has tried to concentrate commercial sites farther east, near Brookside Boulevard along the boundary with the city.

"We prefer to keep our commercial concentrated in one area," said Rosser Reeve Alice Bourgouin. "We don't want it scattered all over farmland."

 

[pbi]

This isn't really a CF issue any more, and if DND has done the transfer to Canada Lands it isn't  even a  DND issue either. Personally, I see no reason why in a city with a population of over 70,000 aboriginals, the first nations shouldn't get a fair go at being landlords. I bet some of the resistance is coming from the South Tuxedo property owners: if any of you know the 'Peg, you will know Tuxedo is one of the upscale areas in the SW part of Wpg. I don't agree with the FN's sabre-rattling about "holding it hostage" but I am 100% in favour of resolving outstanding land claims issues as quickly and fairly as possible, and I don't think that has really been the Fed Govt's track record thus far.

Cheers

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

I hope they put a big ass casino there to piss off the richie rich locals that used their swagger to help oust us.

 

[Greymatters]

Quagmire, I'd be interested in hearing how that happened. 

 

[scas]

Okay then thanks for the help!

 

[Northern Ranger]

This isn't really a CF issue any more, and if DND has done the transfer to Canada Lands it isn't  even a  DND issue either. Personally, I see no reason why in a city with a population of over 70,000 aboriginals, the first nations shouldn't get a fair go at being landlords. I bet some of the resistance is coming from the South Tuxedo property owners: if any of you know the 'Peg, you will know Tuxedo is one of the upscale areas in the SW part of Wpg. I don't agree with the FN's sabre-rattling about "holding it hostage" but I am 100% in favour of resolving outstanding land claims issues as quickly and fairly as possible, and I don't think that has really been the Fed Govt's track record thus far.

Cheers

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