The deadline has passed for residents to vacate a notorious Lake Country motel the district wants boarded up for safety reasons.
Advocates, however, say many of the residents have no where else to go and the municipality believes it’s now up the province to find them spaces.
In August, the district declared the Airport Inn Lakeside a nuisance property and ordered the buildings vacated and boarded up within 45 days, citing health and safety reasons.
After the city declined to give an extension, the mayor says that deadline has now passed.
“We see it as an emergency because there are issues with the site that we consider not safe,” said Lake Country Mayor James Baker.
Baker argues it’s the province’s responsibility to find housing for the residents.
“We are counting on the province to come to a resolution as they have done in other cases similar to this,” Baker said.
“It’s a matter of money that can find rental places for the people that are there. We don’t have the money, but the province does.”
Some advocates for residents are worried people may end up on the street.
“Yes, it has had bedbugs, but this is home to these people. There is no place else to go.”
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However, the city says it won’t try to force people out and will not try to board up the building until residents have vacated.
Global News was told that the owner of the Airport Inn Lakeside wasn’t available to speak to the media on Monday.
His associates, however, described him as “distraught” over the situation and defended the condition of the motel.
BC Housing also declined an interview request. It said in a statement that it is working with other agencies to support residents and that the Residential Tenancy Branch is also investigating the privately-owned and operated motel.
Meanwhile, the local health planning society says it’s outreach worker has been speaking with Airport Inn residents for months and plans to continue working to help them find homes.
“Ideally we are going to find homes for everyone. It may not be in Lake Country… but it is our goal to find a home for each individual,” said Corinne Remple, the executive director of the Lake Country Health Planning Society.
Estimates on the number of people still living in the motel vary. Remple said her organization originally believed there were around 15 residents, but after touring the building on Monday morning, it believes that number is actually higher.
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