A group of residents facing eviction from their rental cottages in Belcarra Regional Park don't plan on leaving quietly.
Despite receiving letters from Metro Vancouver Parks telling them they must vacate the seven rustic cabins by June 30, the group is mustering a last-ditch effort to stay in the homes where they've lived in for decades.
Jo Ledingham, a spokesperson for the Belcarra South Preservation Society, said she will go before Metro Vancouver's Environment and Parks Committee tomorrow (Thursday) with a proposal to address concerns about liability and public access.
"It's a cliffhanger for sure," Ledingham said.
Ledingham, who has lived in the rental cabins since the 1970s, was given a letter from Mitch Sokalski, director of regional, parks planning, policy and environment stating that the locks will be changed and the utilities cut off after June 30.
Ledingham said she hopes to convince the parks committee to extend the lease and allow the cabins to stay. The group says it could host special events for the public and make other improvements.
She said the group has Port Moody council's support for placing the small, wood-heated cabins onto the city's heritage registry and Belcarra village council wants the buildings, said to be significant for their historic and cultural values, to remain as well.
But Metro Vancouver wants to remove the cabins and eventually extend the park's picnic area, although it intends to preserve an eighth building, Bole House, which was built by a noted Belcarra pioneer and judge.
Meanwhile, the cabins live on in an artistic way: Port Moody Public Library is exhibiting a selection of paintings and artist renderings for the month of June.
