For many Valley residents, the past week’s cold snap has been a frigid reminder that winter is not yet ready to release its grasp.
In -20 C to -30 C temperatures, shovelling snow, scraping car windshields and life in general seems much more of a hassle.
Imagine then, being a working, homeless man spending your nights in a van.
That’s the situation Kevin Myers finds himself in. Since moving from Banff to Canmore to work at the Shell gas outlet in November, Myers has been unable to find accommodation and he’s about ready to call it quits and leave the area.
Because he can’t find accommodation, partly because he says service workers aren’t appreciated in Canmore like they are in Banff, Myers works his shifts at the Shell station, but spends his nights in his van, with a propane heater and lot of clothing to keep him warm.
Last fall, Myers was splitting his time between working at the Banff and Canmore Shell stations. Because he was working more in Canmore, though, his boss suggested he move to be closer to his work and avoid commuting.
“I thought it’d be easier to find an apartment here, but it’s far more difficult,” said Myers. “I had in my mind I didn’t want to move here, but this is where most of my work was.”
Myers, 45, has been in the Valley for several years and has worked for Shell for the past year and a half. He says he’s found that service workers aren’t as readily accepted in Canmore as in Banff, and that has hampered his efforts to find housing when he applies.
He lived at the Akai Inn for a time, and the Hostel Bear, but with bills to pay, those weren’t options.
Myers said he looked for help via MLA Janis Tarchuk’s office, but didn’t get anywhere. MP Blake Richard’s office was more help, he said, and gave him suggestions, “but they didn’t work out.”
To stay warm and fill off-work time, he eats cheaply (sometimes at late night chain restaurants), spends hours in the library and contacts people with places to rent.
“But I find Canmore as cold as the Arctic air we have now,” he said. “People have a bad attitude toward service workers here. They do nothing to help service workers. At least in Banff, Community Services will try and help you find a place to live and they have things like soup kitchen Thursdays.”
Myers also estimates that a third of Canmore rental ads are fictitious, saying he suspects possibly they are posted by property owners who need a tax writeoff.
“What they need here is a system like in Lake Louise, where you can show a pay stub to show you’re working, then get a place to stay for about 40 per cent of your pay.”
It’s not like Myers is looking for a free ride – “If I wanted a free ride, I wouldn’t be working at all.” Based on his income, he’s looking for a rental at about $650 a month; but something livable, not like a suite he recently looked at that had a leaky roof and water on the floor.
“I think a lot of people think the homeless are mentally ill or have problems,” he said. “That’s false. Sometimes, you just can’t find a place to live.
“Right now, I’m contemplating leaving. The cold seems to be getting colder. I was almost frozen after work yesterday (March 1). Some customers say it’s your choice, your problem, but I think I’m running out of time, health-wise. I’m getting sick and I think it’s the pressure of living, combined with the cold.”
Myers has a propane heater in his van, and a small stove in case he wants to boil water, “but the heater puts a lot of moisture inside. It’s cold and damp all the time. It’s a good thing I have plenty of clothing and my van. Without my van, I’d probably be dead now.
“I think I’ll have to save as much as I can and get out of here. Many people have said they don’t want me here anyway.”
While living in Banff, Myers said he volunteered with Banff Life’s soup and bread program and with the Canada Day committee, “not because I stand to benefit, it’s just the thing to do. And I like this valley; I just need a place to live. I’ve been pretty pro-active, but nothing has happened.”
