In light of the recent threat of closure of the Shady Acres manufactured community located in West Kelowna and the emerging trend of gentrification, the residents of Kelowna and West Kelowna request changes to existing policy in order to protect those who live in manufactured home communities. 

    We ask for amendments to existing policies and laws, ensuring all residents in manufactured communities slated for decommissioning and/or redevelopment are entitled to fair compensation. In the event that a manufactured home community is scheduled for decommissioning or redevelopment, we request for modification of policies mandating all homeowners to be bought out at their present property value, as determined by the BC property assessment. This compensation should be aligned dollar for dollar with the manufactured home owner's current BC property assessment values. This compensation would be in addition to the mandatory payment under the Manufactured Home Park Tenancy Act. 

       In addition to this, we are asking for the establishment of resiliency centres to assist affected residents in securing suitable housing, mirroring the support offered to those displaced by wildfires in our locality.  We call on the local communities that have gathered taxes from manufactured homeowners over time to help them access more affordable housing options that align with their financial capabilities.

         We are asking that changes be made to the The Manufactured Home Park Tenancy Act, the Manufactured Home Park Redevelopment Policy and The Westbank First Nation Residential Premises Law in order to accommodate changes that will protect these residents. We request action from both provincial and municipal levels of Government as well as the Westbank First Nation.

      In recent years, there has been a rise in the decommissioning of manufactured home communities to make way for the construction of new, frequently high-priced condominiums, structures, and non-residential establishments (Sullivan, 2017). This gentrification has serious consequences for those who live in these communities, particularly those in vulnerable situations, such as single parents, seniors on fixed incomes, and individuals relying on disability support (Sullivan, 2017).  

   Furthermore, Kelowna faces a mere 0.2% vacancy rate, making it difficult for displaced residents to find affordable housing options within their community (Rental Market Report, 2017). This is further exacerbated by the ongoing housing crisis in Kelowna, evidenced by a benchmark price of $1,131,800 for a single family home in April 2022 and a median rent price nearly 30% higher than the national average (April 2022 Summary Statistics, 2022; Zumper, 2024). According to the Housing Market Report (2017), the high demand for rental properties in Kelowna has led to scarcity of available units for prospective renters, especially those looking for more affordable options which appear to be the most sought after. 

     In response to our current housing crisis, the federal and provincial governments have created action plans that include fast-tracking new builds, imposing speculation taxes, and making changes to legislation that support the creation of rental suites (Homes for People Plan, 2023; Government of Canada, 2023). Despite acknowledging the challenges faced by our community and the lack of affordable housing, there have minimal changes to protect the affordable housing that already exists, such as manufactured homes. The current policies around manufactured housing fail to acknowledge the nation-wide housing crisis, and are misaligned with current market values. 

               We ask signees and policymakers to consider this as a humanitarian issue and act accordingly. According to Canada's National Housing Strategy Act (2019),“ the right to adequate housing is a fundamental human right affirmed in international law.”  It is incomprehensible that homeowners would potentially lose their lifetime of equity and be forced to enter an unattainable housing market while developers profit immensely. Surely we would not expect this of those who live in single-family homes, so why do we expect it of those in manufactured homes? We must do better. With the housing crisis forcing many into precarious living conditions, we request policies be reviewed and changes made immediately.

 

References:

April 2022 Summary Statistics. (2022). Association of Interior Realtors. https://www.interiorrealtors.ca/files/April%202022%20DATA%20RELEASE%20-%20MEDIA.pdf

Government of Canada. (2023). Canada’s Housing Action Plan. https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2023/11/canadas-housing-action-plan.html 

Homes for People Plan. (2023). Government of British Columiba. https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/Homes_For_People.pdf

National Housing Strategy Act, S.C. 2019, c. 29, s. 313.  Retrieved from https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/n-11.2/FullText.html

Rental Market Report. (2017). Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/schl-cmhc/NH12-70-2017-eng.pdf

Sullivan, E. (2017). Displaced in place: Manufactured housing, mass eviction, and the paradox of state intervention. American Sociological Review, 82(2), 2430269. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122416688667

Zumper. (2024, January 4). Average rent in Kelowna, BC. https://www.zumper.com/rent-research/kelowna-bc

 

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