A Bridgeantanater couple says they’ve spent two years in an RV and a flood on their property, but it’s the borough that has them looking for a new home amid the housing crisis in Nova Scotia.
“I would put up a sign saying’ city of Bridge8bater, you win’,” Kim Nicholson said alongside her husband, Bolton.
Nicholsons moved from British Columbia after the covid-19 pandemic hit. For years, Kim had “sung the song of Nova Scotia” to convince him, Bolton said. Kim said that she had fallen in love with the province during a youth volunteer trip, so they bought a patch of land on Pine Street in Bridgeanair.
They were initially renting a house elsewhere in Lunenburg County, but when it was sold Kim said they were left with little choice.
So, the 85 — year-old Bolton-who had a career in construction-began cutting down trees and clearing land by hand. Eventually they had enough space to set up a camper in the summer of 2021.
“It wasn’t perfect, believe me, I fought it. I didn’t want to be here, but it was better than nothing,” Kim said.
The Nicholsons planned to build a small house on their land, but said the pandemic and a dispute over the boundaries of their property caused delays.
Bolton said he’s still been busy: he planted a large vegetable garden, brought gravel, got a shipping container for storage, and built a wooden porch covered in RV’s to house a furnace so they could stay warm in winter.
“It’s all been survival here-and it’s like, we took care of ourselves. We did not ask for help,” said Kim, who works as a civil servant.
Order to remove RV issued at the end of June
Bolton said he finally has plans in hand for their home, and planned to begin the construction permit process with the city soon. But the couple’s time in the RV is over.
The city’s Chief Administrative Officer, Tammy Croantander, said the land-use law does not allow people to live in recreational vehicles on their property for a long time unless there is a main building. Bridgeflix issued a formal order for the removal of the RV on June 27.
Croanair said they have also received complaints about the property, with people reporting open fires and other safety issues.
“We are obliged to enforce our regulations and I think it has been demonstrated that we sympathise with the situation they are in because we have been working with them for the last two years,” Croanair said.
Kim said she lost her appeal of the order within the seven-day deadline as it was over a long weekend, and she was “in shock” about where they would go.
“I’m surprised at this situation today when the city is screaming, ‘housing problem,’ ” Bolton said. “Why can’t you let some people decide to build a house?”
Nicholsons said a building staff member with the city was “kind” when he visited to explain why they couldn’t live in the RV.
“He says, Well,’ nothing in the regulations says you can’t be in a tent, ‘” Kim recalls. “I think he was really trying to give us a chance … but at the same time, it’s a heck of an option.”
Crosipder said she was “not aware” of what comment was being made and would have to see if a tent would be allowed in this situation.
The couple says their neighbors are hostile
The Nicholsons said they are very aware that their neighbors want them to leave. When Bolton first arrived to cut some bushes with a machete, the city police approached him and told him to take away his “gun”.”
“That scared the living hell out of me to this day,” Bolton said.
After explaining what he was doing, Bolton said officers apologized and said they had received a call from a neighbor about a strange person in the area with a machete.
Since then, the Nicholsons said nearby residents have confronted them about cutting down trees and other changes Bolton was making to his property.
Now Bolton said he feels like selling the land.
“The treatment I receive here from the city and from the neighbors is not acceptable. I’ve been to different parts of Canada. I’ve never had that,” he said.
“It’s too much for me. I’m too old to have to go through this kind of heartache.”
The Nicholsons were also among the many Nova Scotians who saw their property flooded during last weekend’s historic storm. The flow through their land was filled, damaging property.
Kim emailed the city to ask for more time to move the RV. Croanair told CBC Neombs that the city had given the Nicholsons an extra 30 days, but as of Thursday afternoon the couple had yet to hear from city officials directly.
Bolton said it’s surreal to be in this position after all of Nova Scotia’s recent natural disasters.
“The fire didn’t kill us. The storm didn’t see us. The city took us out,” he said.
The couple is now working with an affordable housing group to find somewhere to live.
Meanwhile, they are staying in a hotel and trying to figure out how to remove the RV from their damaged property before the city deadline.
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