Scott Drader stands in his front yard reading a final notice from lawyers hired by the township of Greater Napanee.
It essentially says eight trailers and the 10 people living in them have to be removed from the property of his Dairy Avenue home by the first week of December.
Drader has been in a legal battle with the town for nine months over the issue.
He got the trailers to try and help homeless people in the area, that he says have nowhere else to go.
Drader spent roughly $11,000 on the mobile homes and charges $450 a month to cover expenses like electricity and heat.
Drader says even Family and Children’s Services has used him as a stop gap to keep a roof over the heads of teenagers in their care.
“Actually in the last week, the last two weeks, I have four CAS (Children’s Aid Society) people here — kids.”
The problem, according to Drader, is his home doesn’t have the proper zoning for the number of trailers he has and adds he couldn’t afford the cost of the zoning change.
Drader says he has until Dec. 3 to remove the trailers and the people or he could end up owing the township a lot of money.
“Probably about a $150,000 in fines. Yeah, it’s $10,000 per trailer from what I understand plus the cost of the town removing them.”
Drader is now trying to sell the trailers and says he’ll continue to do what he can for the people he’s tried to help.
“If these people do have to go in tents, then I will purchase them tents.”
Brianna Payne was at Drader’s property visiting a friend who lives in one of the trailers while Global Kingston was interviewing Drader.
Payne said she has lived in the trailers off and on as well, but she’s concerned for her friend’s welfare right now.
“It does keep people off the streets and not freeze, but it just disappoints me to have to see my friend find a place to go. It hurts me.”
Drader says once he gets the trailers removed, he plans to move away from Napanee.
“I love this town. I’ve been in this town for 40 years, but I don’t like the way the town treats the people.”
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