More enforcement needed at campgrounds
Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today July 26, 2006
It's a summer pastime many of us enjoy: hitching the trailer up to the truck and heading out to nearby campground for a weekend of hiking, fishing, campfires and fresh air.
But, as Today reported Monday, Fort McMurray's housing woes are robbing weekend campers of even that simple vacation pleasure. Forget packing up on a Friday, loading up the kids and driving out for a peaceful weekend away from traffic delays -- if you want a spot in one of the provincial parks, you might have to stake your spot out on a Tuesday to ensure your weekend getaway -- and you'll have to pay the extra money to secure the site for the extra few nights. Even then you might not to be able to find a campsite with an electrical hookup.
The problem? Workers using campgrounds as permanent residences, despite regulations meant to prevent that from happening. By law, one can only stay in a spot for 16 days before vacating it for at least 24 hours before returning.
Disgruntled campers report that that's not happening. They complain that workers, if they bother to vacate at all, simply drive around the campground before returning to their same spot. One pipefitter told us he tries to find someone who'll hold his spot for him at the Gregoire Lake campground while he's gone.
With rents through the roof in Fort McMurray (and a dearth of housing in Anzac) $25 a night at a campground -- that's $750 a month -- sounds like a more affordable alternative. But workers -- especially those receiving a living-out allowance -- aren't forced to stay there, and if they're doing so, they should at least be required to honour the letter of the law, if not the spirit, and vacate when they're required to.
We're certain park staff do their best to enforce the laws -- but the housing shortage is not their fault. And making workers find apartments instead of campsites will only strain Fort McMurray's housing more. Perhaps, instead of a 16 consecutive-day limit, there should be an overall limit to the number of days one could stay in a campground during the summer. Passes could be purchased, and once you've used up your stay in a particular campground, it's time to move on.
© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.
It's a summer pastime many of us enjoy: hitching the trailer up to the truck and heading out to nearby campground for a weekend of hiking, fishing, campfires and fresh air.
But, as Today reported Monday, Fort McMurray's housing woes are robbing weekend campers of even that simple vacation pleasure. Forget packing up on a Friday, loading up the kids and driving out for a peaceful weekend away from traffic delays -- if you want a spot in one of the provincial parks, you might have to stake your spot out on a Tuesday to ensure your weekend getaway -- and you'll have to pay the extra money to secure the site for the extra few nights. Even then you might not to be able to find a campsite with an electrical hookup.
The problem? Workers using campgrounds as permanent residences, despite regulations meant to prevent that from happening. By law, one can only stay in a spot for 16 days before vacating it for at least 24 hours before returning.
Disgruntled campers report that that's not happening. They complain that workers, if they bother to vacate at all, simply drive around the campground before returning to their same spot. One pipefitter told us he tries to find someone who'll hold his spot for him at the Gregoire Lake campground while he's gone.
With rents through the roof in Fort McMurray (and a dearth of housing in Anzac) $25 a night at a campground -- that's $750 a month -- sounds like a more affordable alternative. But workers -- especially those receiving a living-out allowance -- aren't forced to stay there, and if they're doing so, they should at least be required to honour the letter of the law, if not the spirit, and vacate when they're required to.
We're certain park staff do their best to enforce the laws -- but the housing shortage is not their fault. And making workers find apartments instead of campsites will only strain Fort McMurray's housing more. Perhaps, instead of a 16 consecutive-day limit, there should be an overall limit to the number of days one could stay in a campground during the summer. Passes could be purchased, and once you've used up your stay in a particular campground, it's time to move on.
© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.
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