A B.C. couple is facing the threat of a $1,000 penalty and legal action if they do not remove their tiny home from their rural property near Peachland by the end of April.
The 225-square-foot home is equipped with a kitchen, two loft bedrooms, a small wood-burning stove and a bathroom with a shower and composting toilet. King milled a large tree on the property to build counter space in the home and a spacious deck attached to the front of the trailer.King said only grey water from the home's sinks goes back onto the land. He placed the tiny home on a level area on his secluded, 12-acre property which has a small creek running through it in the valley bottom.
"I called up the regional district and said, 'hey, what's this all about? I'm not building. I've been living here for years.' And the bylaw officer informed me that is not allowed," King said.Rural Vancouver Island community of tiny homes facing evictions calls for bylaw changes "The wastewater system you are currently using is not permitted in this streamside aquatic protected area."
"It's devastating. The thought of it, given the deadline to be out of our place and you don't know where you are supposed to go, is mentally draining," McIntyre said.King and McIntyre are not the only people living in an unconventional home facing pressure from the RDCO.For $850 a month in rent and utilities Frank gets a secluded space and garden area. There are two other RV owners with a similar arrangement on the property, according to Frank.
"I have no resources to move and my pension is not enough for me to rent a room somewhere," Frank said.In an email to CBC News the RDCO said the housing crisis is something it is aware of however, the district needs to "ensure homes meet standards and are safe for current and future residents."