WEST KELOWNA — A retired couple may soon lose their beloved waterfront property because the landlords want to turn it into a maintenance facility. Ed Schneider and Ross Arnot own their mobile home, but rent the lot from the Jubilee Mobile Home Park, which is owned by the Tomat family and Westbank First Nation business Princess Enterprises.
“We will never, ever buy anything on Indian land again,” says a frustrated Schneider.
The issue started exactly one year ago. The couple received a letter from mobile home park manager Darcy Osberg that stated the landlords wanted to convert their garage into a maintenance facility.
When they said “no,” they were given an eviction notice. The pair have been tangled in a legal battle ever since.
Schneider and Arnot took the matter to the Westbank First Nation (WFN) arbitration panel but lost.
WFN has its own law governing landlord-tenant matters.
“It’s the Residential Premises Law of the WFN that states that a landlord can evict someone to use that space for the purposes of the park,” explains lawyer S. Paul Varga.
So far, Schneider and Arnot have spent more than $20,000 paying legal fees, and they say the stress is affecting their health.
“We’re digging into our finances, we’re digging into our life savings, and the bottom of the barrel is coming closer and closer here,” says Arnot.
Now they must decide between continuing this battle all the way to the B.C. Supreme Court or taking down their home and uprooting their life elsewhere.
They’ve set up an online fundraiser–click here for more information.
Global Okanagan went to the park’s office, but no one was available for comment.
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