Tiny home construction continues despite stop work notice

While the shelters are an immediate fix to the impending winter, Mayor Yu explained he and the city have been working hard with the UNBC to develop prototype tiny homes that would fully match city guidelines and also be upgradeable to permanent structures, as the tiny homes built by Frederickson and Gustafson are temporary structures. The plan was to have these homes much earlier, but the project unfortunately got significantly delayed.

“It was supposed to be starting the testing perhaps in the last few months, but due to the explosion of the building right next door to the UNBC lab, some of the lab equipment, everything got damaged. Most likely the program will resume in spring.”

Yu added he is happy to see such dedicated community members putting in the work to keep our community warm during winter, but added that safety will always be a priority to him too, which is why he and the City remain focused on following bylaws and procedures.

“My understanding is that there is some insulation going to some of those sleeping units, which for pure winter protection of source is better than a simple tent, but it does pose some safety hazards. If there’s a fire when people are sleeping it’s difficult to get out,” Yu said.

“They are people with a warm heart that want to do something to find a solution to improve the situation better than what they see down there. The situation down there is not acceptable to me, to anybody, so we are actively addressing that as we speak,” he continued.

As for the volunteer-built tiny homes, Frederickson said they will continue building them and won’t stop until they run out of resources. Saying he’s been encouraged to keep going and that a City statement said they wouldn’t enforce the stop work notice, Frederickson hopes to build as many as possible before we get hit with an inevitable cold snap.

“These are people who have nowhere safe to stay, a lot of them live in tents. The three products that are acceptable under the bylaw in Moccasin Flats is plastic, cardboard and nylon. So -40°C winters,, it just isn’t functional. So we’re finding other solutions and we will continue to build these tiny shelters where they can stay,” Frederickson.

The tiny homes have already been making a huge difference for many community members, as Moccasin Flats resident Nikita Teegee says it’s a tremendous upgrade over a tent.

“I slept in it. It’s warm and I’ve got my own stove and it’s perfect for my own space. If he could continue building houses it would be great, everybody wants one,” Teegee said.

With plans to meet more in the near future, it’s likely the volunteers and the City will continue to collaborate on these tiny homes. In the meantime, we can expect Frederickson and the team to continue building.

by Tommy Osborne

Tiny home construction continues despite stop work notice

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