COMMENT: Major Hoople's Return

It might be called “The return of Major Amos B Hoople.” The Major was the central character of the long running cartoon feature “Our Boarding House” or “Major Hoople's Boarding House.” The cartoon ran from the early twenties to the early eighties, when the appeal of boarding houses themselves began to wane.

For those who are too young to remember, boarding houses were large homes with many rooms which were let out to individuals who would have their own bedroom but shared all other facilities such as washrooms and kitchen.

the allure of the boarding house option created abuses in the system and led to many communities banning their use as a safety measure. The problem was landlords trying to cram too many people into a building and tenants creating hazards for other residents. A number of fatal boarding house fires over the years did not help the problem.

rush ahead a quarter century and at least one New Brunswick community is now looking at changing the laws to allow a return to the rooming house. Only now they are calling them “single room occupancy buildings.”

The affordable housing committee in the City of Fredericton is encouraging the city to encourage the creation of such buildings to ease a homelessness crisis in the city. The committee recommends the buildings as a great option for people who need a comfortable place to live but don't need a lot of space.

of the issues the city will have to address is the stigmaten attached to boarding houses, as nothing more than seedy dumping spots for those who can't afford anything else. Rigid regulations to ensure safety, as well as attractive residences and rents might actually help to make these single room occupancy buildings an attractive option rather than a last resort.

As Major Hoople himself might say “Egad!”

Frank Likely lives in Springhill and writes a weekly column for the Amherst News.