A group of residents who live in cottages in Belcarra Regional Park are keeping their fingers crossed that a Residential Tenancy Branch decision in their favour will be upheld and they’ll be allowed to stay in their homes.
Wednesday, the Belcarra South Preservation Society will be in Supreme Court in Vancouver facing off against Metro Vancouver Regional District, which is petitioning the court to set aside the branch’s decision, which would allow it to evict the tenants to make way for changes to the park.
A lawyer for the society said it’s not known when a decision will be made or if the issue will be referred back to the branch. But Oliver Pulleyblank said residents are hoping for a good outcome and he hopes the courts will uphold the original ruling made last February.
“Our position would be that the judicial review would be dismissed,” Pulleyblank said.
Metro Vancouver won’t comment on the case while it’s before the courts.
The dispute dates back several years. The tenants, many of whom have lived in the cottages most of their lives, are seeking to stay and say they have paid to maintain the cabins out of their own pockets, including installing a water system.
Metro Vancouver wants to turn the cabins into interpretive displays, except for one cabin that needs more review, while nearby Bole House would be restored for public use, as part of a plan to upgrade the park.
But seven of the eight cabins are protected under heritage designation by the city of Port Moody while one in Belcarra is receiving further study.
For residents, however, the buildings are their homes and they want to stay there while giving public access to the small beach.
“We’ve always believed that between Metro Vancouver and the society, we can find a way for public to access the pocket beach without taking the cottages down and evicting the tenants,” said Jo Ledingham, who has lived in one of the cabins full-time since 1978, and rented it as a summer cottage beginning in 1964.
In addition to keeping residents' tenancies, Ledingham said the society is also concerned about parking lot expansion into an area of second-growth trees and doesn’t believe that fits in with ideals of environmental sustainability that have now become more common in society.
“We think Metro Vancouver should be leading the way in getting people into parks without getting into their private vehicles, especially in view of climate change and youth protests. It seems like a regressive, not-well-thought-out move,” she said.
In its ruling, the tenancy branch cancelled the eviction notice because Metro Vancouver didn’t have all its permits or a planned use for one of the cabins to justify the eviction.
