Couple preps to camp out over building battle

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This article was published 20/10/2014 (4024 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A couple told they can’t build a home on the RM of Whitehead property they purchased in June said they’re prepared to camp out on the land this winter.

An application by Zak McDermot-Fouts filed in the summer to place a modular home on his newly purchased property south of Kemnay was denied by the RM council in August, even after he and his wife Nicole were “led to believe it was all good to go” following talks with Reeve Wayne Dobie.

“At first, they were fine with it and seemed like they were fairly supportive. Then at the last minute, they said ‘no,’” said McDermot-Fouts, a member of the Canadian Forces.

Naysayers to the application cited the poor condition of the road allowance leading to the property as a primary concern, as well as land drainage.

“That land is sloughy, it doesn’t drain well. It is marsh land, not land to build a house on,” stated an email from neighbours Doug and Denise Williamson to RM administration.

McDermot-Fouts rebutted that claim, saying even during the worst downpours this past summer, they have had no drainage issues.

“The councillors seriously need to take into consideration the cost to the municipality to have a mobile home situated here,” the email continued.

“I’m all for new people moving into the municipality, but want to make sure it is on land that is appropriate for homes with low cost to the municipality.”

But McDermot-Fouts told RM administration he’d bear the cost of upgrading the road, which has been impassible during flooding over the last several years.

“When they realized we were serious (about upgrading the road ourselves), they said we couldn’t,” McDermot-Fouts said, adding it would cost about $18,000.

Further, he said council also stopped an application to lead power lines to the land this month — the “final straw.”

“I’ve been in the military for 10 years, I’ve done two tours overseas, fighting for freedom, and now I can’t even get electricity on my own property in my own country,” he said.

Since they purchased the land, the couple have been living in a generator-powered camper trailer with no running water or plumbing, in anticipation the issue would be resolved. In the meantime, the couple have hired a lawyer.

“I feel they’re trying to freeze us out and wait until winter comes and we won’t be able to stay there,” he said.

In preparation to stubbornly wait out the winter months, McDermot-Fouts said they’re about to move a bigger camper onto the land with a washroom hooked up to a septic tank already approved by the province. But if they don’t get electricity, they’ll be forced to use a wood stove.

“We’re never going to move,” he said, adding he’s prepared to fight the issue for “the next 10 years.”

“This property is my little piece of freedom. I’ve worked hard for the money I made to get it.”

When contacted by the Sun, Dobie declined to discuss the matter because a lawyer had contacted the municipality.

“I believe we’ve had a call from his lawyer, so anything to do with legal things, I can’t speak on,” he said, and referred inquiries to the RM office. Calls made to the administration office went unanswered.

McDermot-Fouts plans to resubmit an application for power. If denied again, he’ll be forced to power the trailer with a generator and solar panels.

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