After being told the house they were renting was being sold, Lee and Sondra Watkins started looking for alternative accommodation.
A tight rental market, inflated housing prices and the fact they own several large animals left them with few options.
“My wife’s parents had 4.3 acres of ALR land, and they were willing to give us one of their fields and set up a site for our fifth wheel,” says Lee, who was originally thrilled with the temporary solution.
That was in May of 2022. But within a month of moving in, Watkins says the City of Vernon took action on a single complaint.
“Through the rules of the ALC (Agricultural Land Commission) and ALR (Agricultural Land Reserve) ... you can have a secondary residence that is a 900-square-foot carriage house or an RV. That’s totally fine through ALR rules, but because we’re within City of Vernon limits, the city can overpower that decision,” he says.
Despite 18 months of emails, conversations and a failed attempt to move the RV to Armstrong, the Watkins feel they are caught between a rock and a hard place.
“I don’t know what makes this wrong. We’ve done everything right from the electrical to the septic holding tank to professional insulated skirting. We don’t understand.”
ALC and Technical Safety BC officers have visited the property and deemed it compliant.
Both Lee and Sondra are small business owners who were born and raised in Vernon.
Sondra's family moved to the acreage when she was only seven years old.
They’re baffled by the city’s "double talk."
“All they talk about is solutions for the housing crisis and having more affordable housing and options and for people to come up with creative ideas like this when they have the property – and they have just gone silent, will not talk to us, will not respond to us.”
The only communication that remains is an occasional visit from bylaw staff to issue fines that now total $750. And they’ve been warned they could see fines of $250 a day.
The Watkins are left shaking their heads as to why their temporary housing solution has garnered such pushback when communities and municipalities across the province are relaxing rules to help ease the housing crisis.
“Whoever made that complaint, do they have children? Have you ever wanted to help your children, wanted to help them with a down payment, give them a place to live, give them a little extra cash to help them get back on their feet?" asks Lee.
Our parents didn’t have the money to give us a down payment or help us save, but what they did have was four and a half acres that we could build a site and put the RV on."
The next move for the Watkins will be to go to city council armed with signatures of support from their neighbours.
They’re hoping the voice of many will either help reduce their fines or buy them more time.
