Residents scramble to find new homes as officials shut down trailer park

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Bonfires by the lake. Walks along the coastline. A million dollar view.

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It was to be “a dream come true” for 66-year-ol Paula Martin, who moved into a trailer park at the end of Lakeshore Line near Port Burwell last August after spending a year building a tiny home there for herself and her 13-year-old dog.

She says she was told it would be $900 a month for a spot that included hydro, septic service, internet and water.

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“I decided this would be a good place to retire, finally, and relax,” Martin, from the Dutton area, said of embracing the so-called “tiny home” trend – small, compact housing that boosters say is less expensive and better environmentally.

But the road had been closed in 2018 due to erosion and a nearby crater known locally as “the grand canyon.” Also, the land, local officials say, isn’t zoned for a trailer park and they’re forcing residents out.

Now, Martin has until Jan. 10 to find a new place to live or be removed from the property, leaving her scrambling for a new home.

“I still owe money on it and I have nowhere to take it,” she said. “I spent a year building this and in that year I was looking for an all-year-round trailer park. For me this was the ultimate answer – where I could park my tiny house and enjoy my retirement years.”

Thomas Thayer is the top bureaucrat with the Municipality of Bayham. He says his office received bylaw complaints months ago about trailers on the land, which he says is zoned for agricultural use only. The dwellings “have to be removed” also because they’re located “on a closed road allowance.”

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The road is not even plowed during the winter, he said. “The lot is subject to active erosion. It’s a significant safety concern from the municipality’s perspective.”

At one point, the municipality and the landowner were working out some kind of compromise but “that process stalled out,” Thayer said. Residents received notice early this moth that they had to vacate the property, on which there are 18 trailers.

“We understand it’s a very difficult time of year and we understand some of the individuals down there may be at risk – part of vulnerable populations,” he said, noting agencies held an information session for 16 residents this week.

Craig MacLachlan, 62, moved into the property in June, paying $1,000 monthly for a trailer and services.

He says he’s found a new home and is now helping other residents do the same, adding he’s upset the municipality waited until right before Christmas to order them out despite having concerns raised six month prior.

“It’s the fact that the municipality did nothing until December when it’s cold . . . in the middle of winter, leaving people not only to scramble but also sell their trailers (when) it’s not an opportune time to sell a trailer,’ he said.

Attempts to reach the owner of the land were unsuccessful.

HRivers@postmedia.com
@HeatheratLFP

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