A defence lawyer in Canada is sounding the alarm on the disaster that is our housing market, which she believes has gotten so bad that inmates she represents have asked to prolong their stay.
Melanie Begalka, a criminal defence lawyer in Vancouver, took to social media to expose just how bad things are getting across the country.
According to her, at least three of her clients would rather be locked up than deal with the rental market mess when they get out.
“This is not a new phenomenon. It has been the case for years that some people who are homeless find a reprieve from their circumstances in jail. I first encountered it when I was a law student, while Stephen Harper was Prime Minister,” Begalka told Now Toronto in an email statement on Wednesday.
She says the extreme housing crisis, fear of dangerous drugs on the street and general lack of resources, is why people would rather stay behind bars just a little longer.
“I think that the housing crisis is a major problem that all levels of government need to be doing more to address. It is particularly acute in rural and remote areas of the country where local municipalities have fewer resources.”
“My tweet was not actually trying to make a political statement. Just expressing my sadness and frustration at the difficult, and often overlooked circumstances of the people I help,” she continued.
Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre caught wind of this and said the “Trudeau housing market is literally worse than prison for many.”
Others agreed with Begalka’s sentiments, sharing concerns of their own.
“Welcome to Canada, where prison is the less dehumanizing option,” one X user responded.
“Prisons are no substitute for affordable, dignified, safe, accessible housing,” another said.
