Re: ‘Higher earning families part of St. Albert's appeal,' April 3.
I had to shake my head after I read your thoughts on what you think ‘lower-income families' do to St. Albert's image. For some reason you seem to think low-income families add nothing but violence, crime, drugs, police presence, unkempt properties, and that children of low-income families have no place in St. Albert schools. Coming from my own experiences, it seems your higher income has made you become highly mistaken.
When I moved to St. Albert 15 years ago, my family would've been considered low income. I was a young high school girl, with a single mom, who worked two ‘low-income' jobs. We lived in a small apartment in the ‘low income' Mission area. That would be the only issues that would make us appear to be your version of low income.
When I started school here, I don't think anyone else realized my family was low income. I, however, noticed quite quickly that some kids were a little better off than me. While we low-income kids enjoyed a healthy walk to school, most of the high-income kids came to school, usually late, in their new rides. I have seen a lot more low-income kids stay at the school with their bagged lunches while those that had the extra money seemed to take off at lunch in their new rides with their gangs of friends. Sometimes they didn't come back after lunch. If they did, their eyes were red and they couldn't concentrate well in class. I also saw a lot more low-income kids appear on the honour roll, than I did high-income kids. Seems strange, since according to you, the low-income kids should have been the ones out drug smoking, hanging out in gangs and not doing well in school because ‘they didn't belong there.'
After school, for three years, I ran a house cleaning business. Let me tell you, I've cleaned all kinds of homes spread across ‘income classes' here in St. Albert. I've found many illegal drugs hidden in the cupboards and drawers of the very elite. I've met many ‘rich' parents who were oblivious to all the illegal, violent things hidden under their children's beds. Not to mention their kids' rooms could very well be featured on the TV show Hoarders. I've had to clean up what was the aftermath of a violent rage with broken furniture, doors and glass in the home and yard of a very rich family. Some of the wealthiest (and rudest) clients had the filthiest homes and yards I've ever seen.
Yet at the same time, I've seen low-income homes with the tidiest rooms, prettiest yards, nicest people, and cleanest, most organized kids I've ever met. I've seen school awards and trophies plastered all over these low-income clients' homes. Yet at quite a few ‘high class' homes there were letters written by angry neighbours, bylaw warnings about unkempt yards, court dates and school suspensions plastered on their walls. Obviously, I've also seen things vice versa in both ‘classes' of homes. Believe me, I've seen it all.
To Mr. and Mrs. Perry: who serves your dinner on your fancy dates here in St. Albert? A low-income single mom, who buses it in every day from the slums in Edmonton just to work here in St. Albert? Who rings in your groceries at the grocery store? A young, drug-dealing punk from a poor family? These are people who live right here in St. Albert. If they didn't live here, they wouldn't work here. There has to be room in this city for these low-income workers/families that St. Albert needs in order to be the best place to live. Otherwise you can serve your own fancy dinner at our restaurants and you can surely expect the grocery stores to have empty shelves, with no staff to help you. These low-income earners will be living and working in the Edmonton stores and restaurants where, according to you they belong.
A person's income doesn't create the perfect image for a city; people create the perfect image. High-income, middle-income, and yes even low-income people can create the perfect, peaceful, appealing image St. Albert offers. The one who spoils this image could very well be your next-door neighbours or their children residing in that expensive house in Kingswood. Just ask their housekeeper.
Mandy Lloyd, St. Albert
