About 100 longtime residents of a recreational vehicle (RV) park in Surrey, B.C., face eviction after the landowner announced plans to close the site in November.
Residents of the Tynehead RV Camp on 102nd Avenue, many of them seniors, are worried about where they will live after the park closes.
Serge Gendron, 80 years old, lives in his caravan in Tynehead since 1997. In June, he received notice from the owner that the park was closing and that electricity and water services would end in November.
Shocked, he sought legal assistance and contested the eviction with the Residential Tenancies Department (RTB).
There RTB found that he was a tenant under the Manufactured Home Parks Tenancies Act (MHPTA) of British Columbia and that the eviction notice was not valid.
This is my home, I have no other place to go
In 2018, the provincial government strengthened tenant protections for people facing eviction from manufactured home parks. Other residents of Tynehead also hope to use this law to assert their rights.
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Tynehead RV Park owner Daniel Kuk declined an interview request but said in a notice to residents that he intends to retire and close the place.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Nav Rahi
Paul Lagace, legal representative and coordinator of the Prince Rupert Unemployment Action Centre, notes that the owner has the right to close his land, but the MHPTA requires him to give at least 12 months’ notice and provides minimum compensation of $20,000 for affected residents
.
A spokesperson for the provincial housing ministry said that if the homes cannot be moved, the owners must provide additional compensation of 12 months’ rent or $5,000, whichever is greater
.
CBC News was able to obtain a copy of the notice sent by the owner of the Tynehead RV ParkDaniel Kuk. He said he plans to close the park to retire and travel. He declined an interview request but said his plans remain unchanged.
Mr. Lagace called the eviction notice of absurdity
and of tactical
to get rid of long-term, low-rent residents, many of whom are seniors with few options.
Around fifty residents have already left the premises and around fifteen others are preparing to file a class action with the RTB to protect their rights.
Elderly people facing homelessness
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Terence Haeber has lived in the park for seven years. Along with him, his sister, Lori Summer, helped him file a dispute resolution request with the RTB.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Nav Rahi
Terence Haeber, who has lived in the park for seven years, also filed an appeal with the RTBfearing to become homeless if forced to leave
. He is waiting for the decision.
Her sister, Lori Summer, claims the landlord pressured the tenants to sign a temporary agreement waiving their rights under the MHPTA and threatened to expel those who refused.
When he realized that no one would sign, he decided to close the park.
she says.
Paul Lagace says he is concerned about the fact that the RTB may not systematically rule in favor of the 15 tenants involved in a collective dispute, noting that decisions can vary from one mediator to another.
With information from Shaurya Kshatri and Pinki Wong
