Family shocked after tiny homes ordered removed from lot

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The District of Carleton North has ordered three tiny homes be removed from a property near Florenceville-Bristol as previous flooding had led to a no-build order on the lot. 

That order, however, was news to the families who live there. 

Initially the eight adults and seven children ages seven to 17, had been living in campers on the lot, but opted to put in tiny homes last August. 

“We wanted to live here in peace and create a better life for our children and not drown under a mountain of debt,” said Kristin Wood, who lives on the property in Riverbank. 

She said the issue only came to light when they called the municipality and the Western Valley Regional Service Commission (WVRSC) about installing water and sewer, and that’s when an inspector notified them they were in violation of three provincial building codes and were given a notice to comply. 

The service commission’s chief executive officer, Katelyn McGrath, said the no-build clause was put in place after the last flood of record, though the families said they didn’t have any record of that in the legal paperwork when they purchased the 1.2-acre lot four years ago, and a lawyer they hired since can find no restrictions on the property.  

The service commission says the homes were also put in without any permits or approval, though the families say they didn’t realize tiny homes required those.

The families made a plea to council in February to retract the order, but Mayor Andrew Harvey said it’s the province that sets the rules, and the municipality only enforces them. 

“The concept of what you’re doing is good, but you jumped the gun,” he told them. 

McGrath said the homeowners have been advised to speak with the province to see if the issue can be addressed. 

“We have been trying to answer their questions to the best of our ability but many of those questions are not for the district of Carleton North or the Regional Service Commission,” she said. “So she needs to engage a lawyer or engage those departments in that discussion, our hands are tied until that matter is dealt with.”