These streets, with their often tiny houses pressed together on 25 foot lots, are typical of the homes that flanked the north and south sides of the CPR railyards stretching from Point Douglas to Keewatin Street. Workers lived in these neighbourhoods because they were located near their place of work and, often, this was the only accommodation they could afford.

The rail yards and factories nearby made life here difficult. Smoke filled the air and soot blackened furnishings and windows. <--caption-->The constant back and forth shunting of the trains shook the flimsy houses. Overcrowding was a serious problem. Property owners, who often lived far outside the area, subdivided houses or squeezed two or more buildings onto a single lot. Official reports stated that as many as five families lived in one house. JS Woodsworth, a social reformer, complained that people froze to death when fierce winter winds blew through cracks in the walls and broken windows. Outbreaks of typhoid, tuberculosis, pneumonia, and other diseases haunted the lives of residents. Social conditions were among the worst reported in Canada.

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Working-Class Housing