People who live in RVs in the Nanaimo, B.C., area are breathing a sigh of relief after the regional district hit pause on enforcing bylaws against living in the vehicles long-term.
The Regional District of Nanaimo said the ongoing housing crisis prompted it to suspend enforcement on length of stay rules for vehicles parking in campgrounds and RV parks while it completes a review of its land use bylaw.
RDN Board Chair Vanessa Craig said the move came in recognition that the region is facing a housing crisis.
“We’ve put in a pause on bylaw enforcement to provide surety and assurance to people living in RV parks already,” she told Global News.
The enforcement suspension, which applies to the regional district but not the City of Nanaimo, means people can continue to live in RV facilities in places like Bowser, Cedar, Nanoose Bay and Coombs.
However, it only applies in campgrounds and RV parks where there is no safety risk, no damage to the environment, sewage is properly managed and there is no risk of contaminating drinking water.
In June, a draft of the district’s land use bylaw sent a surge of anxiety through the region’s RV parks, raising the prospect of a ban on living at a particular site for more than six months.
Robert Booth, who has lived at the Jinglepot RV Park and Campground for about 12 years, said he’d been dreading the possibility of having to move.
“People in our situation who are older, don’t have a whole lot of income, can’t afford the rents that are out there now … it would be way too hard. This is perfect for us,” he said.
“When they got the idea of what was happening and what it would actually cause as far as problems and probably greater homelessness, I think it was the wisest decision they’ve made.”
Booth said it costs about $1,000 every time he packs up and relocates his trailer, and that the prospect of having to do it more than once a year would have been devastating.
What’s more, he said he’d lose the sense of community he has developed over time with the other people living in the same park.
“If we wanted to get affordable housing we would probably have to move out of Nanaimo and go to a smaller place and who knows what would happen to us there? It’s the unknown that’s the scariest part,” he said.
Steven Nielsen said he would be living in his car if he hadn’t been able to move into the RV park.
He said there’s a two-year waiting list to get into the facility, highlighting just how tight the housing market is.
“I’m relieved. I’ve got so much here. I don’t want to move, and I don’t know what I would have done,” he said.
“They should look at anything to help solve the housing crisis, and this is just one thing.”
The district says a future review will look at providing more support for housing diversity, including tiny homes as permanent residences.