Houses saved from demolition being moved to First Nation on B.C.'s Sunshine Coast
A major move underway in Port Moody will see 10 houses saved from the wrecking ball and given new leases on life on the Sunshine Coast where they can nurture future generations of families.
"We had a lot of Christmases and birthdays here," said Wendy Kinloch, the former owner of one of the houses. "We've been in the house for 34 years and raised two beautiful girls here."
The house on Windsor Drive is one of 59 originally slated for demolition after being purchased as part of a land assembly by Wesgroup, a developer with plans to build a dense master-planned community with 2,500 new residential units at the site.
But now 10 of the old houses have been deemed appropriate for relocation.
"Demolition should be the last option, not the first. And as we're proving today, there's a very viable alternative. And a responsible alternative," said Glyn Lewis, owner of Renewal Home Development. "Which is to physically rescue, relocate and repurpose many more of these homes."
After driving through the neighbourhood and identifying the homes he thought could be saved, Lewis reached out to the developer to see if it would be amenable to the idea.
Once Wesgroup was on board, Lewis made contact with the shíshalh Nation near Sechelt which currently has 200 families on its housing waitlist.
"Most homes have to be torn down after a certain amount of time," said Lhehiwus Yalxmult, Chief of the shíshalh Nation. "But these homeowners really looked after their homes and appreciated what they had and we're so very excited to be able to continue that."
The homes are only about a kilometre from Rocky Point Park at the eastern edge of Burrard Inlet but they cannot be loaded onto barges there because they are too large to safely navigate the overpass that leads to the park's boat ramp.
Instead the houses will take a circuitous route through Port Moody and Coquitlam before being loaded onto barges for the trip to the Sunshine Coast and their final destination near Sechelt.
On the way, they will pass through the Skookumchuck Narrows, a fast-moving tidal rapids on Sechelt Inlet.
Once safely at their destination, the houses will be placed upon new foundations with basement suites – creating homes for 20 families.
Thinking about her home of 34 years nurturing another generation of children brings a tear to Kinloch's eye.
"It was just a wonderful neighbourhood, a wonderful home, and I'm so glad that it is going to someone else and it will see that life," she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
Blind Sask. boy heading to international braille competition hopes to increase accessibility for visually impaired
A Saskatchewan boy who qualified for an international braille competition in Los Angeles next month hopes he can inspire change in his home province.
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.