HolidaysSpringtime is often a time to celebrate! We tried to capture as many of the national, spiritual, cultural, and celebratory holidays that take place in these three months. We apologize if we’ve missed any!

Wood Buffalo HomeQuarterly Tenant Newsletter

Vol: 7 Issue #2 April/May/June 2019

Community SupportsHousing/Shelter• Marshall House Emergency Shelter is a clean and safe environment, with security on site, that is open 7 days a week, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. for adults over the age of 18. Please call 780-715-1870 for more information.• Unity House Emergency Shelter for women and children who are fleeing domestic violence and/or struggling to find safe accommodations. Please phone 780-743-1190 for more information.

Nutritional Supports• Wood Buffalo Food Bank (10117 King Street) provides programs and services that support the resources and education necessary to ensure food security. They also have emergency hampers. Please call 780-743-1125 for more information.

Healthcare• Canadian Mental Health (10019 Macdonald Ave) can assist individuals living with a mental illness, their family members, friends and significant others with finding support, information and resources from social, government and health services. Please call 780-743-1053 for more information.

April May June1 April Fools Day 6 Start of Ramadan 1 Start of Seniors Month

2 Autism Awareness Day 6 Start of Mental Health Week 3 End of Ramadan

3 Lailat al Miraj 6 Start of Nurses Week 4 Eid al Fitr

6 Tartan Day 12 Mother’s Day 8 National Best Friend Day

7 World Health Day 15 International Day of Families 9 Pentecost

10 National Siblings Day 20 Victoria Day 9 Start of Shavuot

11 National Pet Day 23 Lag B'Omer 10 End of Shavuot

13 Thai New Year 15 World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

14 Palm Sunday 16 Father’s Day

14 Tamil New Year 21 National Indigenous Peoples Day

19 Good Friday 21 Summer Solstice

20 Lailatul Barat

20 Start of Passover

21 Easter Sunday

22 Earth Day

24 Administrative Professionals Day

30 National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day

Spring!

If you have an After HoursEmergency please call

780-799-4050Emergency items include:

No Heat • Flood • Sewer backup

Please do not use this number for non-emergencies or tenancy issues.

For police/fire/ambulance—any situation involving immediate threat to person or

property, Call 911

Office Hours:All WBH offices will be closed on

April 19 — Good FridayMay 20 — Victoria Day

Home Ownership ProgramSince 2004, Wood Buffalo Housing (WBH) has helped more than 300 families, couples and individuals realize their dream of home ownership in Fort McMurray through its Affordable Home Ownership Program.

To apply you must:

• be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada;

• have a household income not exceeding $145,000/year;

• be able to qualify for a 1st mortgage with a lender;

• be a first-time homeowner in Fort McMurray;

• not already participate in another home ownership program

Our program could provide up to 20% in a second loan. Currently we have homes in the Timberlea and Prairie Creek areas. If you or someone you know is interested in viewing and/or purchasing one of these properties, please call Rasha Hassan at 780-799-4038, or email rasha@wbhousing.ca.

Barbeques On BalconiesOnly seasonal furniture (BBQ and one propane tank) is permitted on the balcony. No other items are to be stored on the balcony due to it being a safety hazard.

Please note that you are responsible to ensure your barbeque is installed according to the Alberta Fire Code. The fire department invoices WBH a cost recovery fee of $1,500 for any incident that is found to be the result of a barbeque installed in contravention to the Code.

This fee is then passed onto the tenant of the unit responsible for the incident.

The Alberta Safety Code restricts the location of propane cylinders to:

1. A maximum of one 20 lb. cylinder per unit;

2. Be 1 metre (3 ft) from doors and windows;

3. Be 3 metre (10 ft) from source of ignition;

4. Be 1 metre (3 ft) from any combustible surface unless

otherwise directed by the appliance manufacturer’s instruction.

Spring Reminders:• Replace the batteries in your smoke detectors. This is something few think about, but it can save your life.

• Large garbage items are the responsibility of the tenant for disposing. If it does not fit completely in the large moloks bins you are responsible to arrange transportation to dispose of the items at the dump. Charge backs to tenants will occur if you are caught on cameras violating this rule.

• As the days get longer more people will be coming out of hibernation. This means more people, especially kids, will be on our premises and in our playgrounds and parking lots. Please drive with caution and SLOW DOWN!

• Apartment balconies need to remain free of garbage and debris. This includes recycling. Garbage kept on balconies creates a fire hazard. Those who do not comply and put garbage on their balconies will be fined.

• Be a good neighbour and respect that not everyone is on the same schedule as you and/or your family. We realize more people will be out and enjoying the warmer days. Keep noise to a minimum, especially if you are watching TV or playing music at night. Also, the hallways and parking lots are not appropriate places for playing, cycling, skate boarding or hanging out.

• With the warm weather soon arriving we want to remind our tenants that only portable air conditioners are allowed in WBH units. Air conditioners that sit in the windows are not permitted.

• Do not leave lower windows open to cool your home. Don’t give criminals a “window of opportunity” on hot nights.

• If you smoke outside, check with neighbours to make sure they are not affected by your second hand smoke.

• Numerous vehicles have been parked on the property that are not registered with the office or have no license plate or registration. These vehicles will be documented in the coming weeks and towed at the owner’s expense. The approximate cost of retrieving the vehicle is $350 - $400. Please note that visitor parking is NOT to be used for long term parking. Any vehicles in violation of this rule will be towed at the owner’s expense. If you have visitors who are using the visitor parking for longer than three days, arrangements must be made with the office.

• Please DO NOT grant access to the building to anyone that does not have a key. It is not impolite, it is necessary to ensure the safety of all our tenants. Any tenants having visitors must either utilize the intercom system or come to the entrance to allow their visitors access to the building. Tenants are responsible for the behavior of all guests while on the property. If issues arise due to a visitor, that tenant will be held accountable.

A Reminder To Tenants Who SmokeAll WBH buildings are smoke-free buildings. We’ve received frequent complaints noting a strong cigarette or cannabis odour in the hallways. This behaviour is NOT acceptable and goes against the terms of your lease agreement with WBH. If you or someone visiting your unit is found in violation of this rule you will be given a warning, and if it persists an eviction notice. Smoking is only permitted outside of the building and must be a minimum of three meters from the entrance. Smoking, whether tobacco or cannabis, is not permitted on balconies.

Planter Pots are Not Ashtrays — Every year we hear of fires started by smokers using plant pots as ashtrays. Please do not use dried flower pots as an ashtray when smoking outside.

Planning An Event?Meadow Creek Clubhouse is available to all WBH tenants for special events and occasions.

For information on cost to rent and availability please contact 780-750-0085 or mcvcondo@shaw.ca.

Hours of operation are Monday to Friday, 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.Saturday 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Closed Sundays.

Tenant Survey Results and Lobby Beautification ProjectThe tenant survey closed in mid-January and results have been compiled. We had a total of 310 responses, between the paper survey and shorter online survey. We have summarized all of the comments into themes and, for the most part, the results were quite positive.

We have identified areas that received a negative rating and are discussing ways to address them. There is lots of room for improvement, and this feedback will help keep us on the right track and allow us to establish benchmarks and goals.

We have already begun working on one of the areas of concern, which is to make the main entrances and lobbies of our buildings more welcoming and attractive. We have a plan and have begun implementing it in a few of our buildings so far (Stony Mountain Plaza, 257 Siltstone and Horizon View B & C). The rest will be completed this year.

Your feedback is always encouraged and welcome as it helps us to do our jobs better. If you like what you see or have suggestions for improvement, please bring them forward to your site manager, the administration office, or you can bring them up at one of our tenant meetings.

If you know someone interested in applying

for housing, please ask them to call

780-799-4050 or they can fill out an inquiry

form online at www.wbhousing.ca.

Don’t forget to like us on Facebook to stay

in-the-know on events and promotions

@WoodBuffaloHousing.

Useful external resources for tenants:• Couples Communication Workshop – March 9, April 13, and May 11 from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. o The YMCA Supports for Wellness Team is offering a free couple’s workshop with new topics each month. Learn how to communicate with your partner while engaging in fun and interactive activities! Attend all three sessions to enter to win a prize of dinner and a movie for two! o Free child minding available o Snacks and refreshments provided o Maximum of 12 couples per workshop o Register at on Eventbrite or at https://bit.ly/2HusjVE.• English Language Learners Conversation Group – every Tuesday in April, May and June from 10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m., Moberly Meeting Room A, Wood Buffalo Regional Library. o The ELL Conversation Group is for community members who want the opportunity to practice and improve their English ability. We will focus on speaking, reading and writing, with a different topic covered at each relaxed and informal session. o For more information, please contact the Reference Desk at 780-743-7804/780-743-7073 or email reference@wbrl.ca.• The Community Adult Learning Program o English Language Learning o Math: Pre-GED/Pre-Upgrading o English Language Arts: Pre-GED/Pre-Upgrading o Free tuition through the Keyano Community Adult Learning Programs and Innovation and Advancement Education. o To register call or text 780-715-4946 or visit the Bob Lamb building, Room 200 at Keyano College from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Monday to Thursday to meet with an intake coordinator.

• LINC – Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada o Keyano College has FREE English Classes being offered through its Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada – LINC Program.

o Must be a permanent resident or convention refugee, 18 years or older. o Email English@keyano.ca, or call 780-792-5706 for more information.

June is Seniors Month! Come help us celebrate at one of the following events:June 2 - Opening Ceremonies at the Golden Years Society at 2 p.m.

June 3 - Pancake Breakfast at the Golden Years Society from 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

June 5 - Luncheon at the Golden Years Society from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.

June 11 - St. Aidan’s Movie Event at 1:00 p.m., doors open at 12:30 p.m.

June 12 - Luncheon at the Golden Years Society from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.

June 15 - IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer’s from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

June 17 - Dental Day at Morrison Dental with Dr. Koh

June 18 - Rotary House Walk at 1:30 p.m., followed by Tea and Treats at 2 p.m.

June 19 - Luncheon at the Golden Years Society from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.

June 25 - ‘Exploding Boxes’ event at the Wood Buffalo Regional Library from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.* *registration is required for this event

June 26 - Luncheon at the Golden Years Society from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.

For more information on these events, please call Rebeccah at 780-791-1160.