DISPLACED ONCEAGAIN
RESIDENTS MOVING AS FLOOD CAMP TO SHUT
The province plans to fast-track the closure of one of two temporary modular camps housing Albertans displaced by last June’s flood because demand has been much lower than projected.
On Thursday, Municipal Affairs confirmed it had begun notifying people living in the Great Plains camp, in southeast Calgary, that it planned to close the temporary community in 30 to 60 days.
“It’s not a hard and fast date,” said government spokeswoman Trisha Anderson. “We’re not going to throw anyone on the street. Getting people into alternative housing is the priority.”
Two temporary camps were built following the devastating flood that left thousands of Albertans out of their homes.
Saddlebrook camp, just north of High River, accommodated roughly 1,100 people shortly after it opened. Fewer than 500 people remain in that camp.
The Great Plains camp opened in October and was built to accommodate approximately 700 people.
Officials then estimated Great She chose to live there instead of Saddlebrook because her husband works in Calgary, her kids now go to school there, and the trailer setup was better suited for her large family.
Her family has little idea when they’ll be able to return home, or where home may be.
Their home in Hampton Hills, which became a flooded lake last June, has been deemed structurally unsound.
The Tymchynas are one of 18 families headed to arbitration with the province, in hopes of getting more than the $9,000 they’ve been allocated from the Disaster Recovery Program.
“Our only option available would be to go to Saddlebrook, which really isn’t much of an option for us,” Tymchyna said.
Resident Anthony Hinojosa, who lost both his Mission home and his home-based photography business in the flood, said he has had no complaints about Great Plains. He had been staying at hotels and motels before moving to the site shortly after it opened.
“I feel blessed to have a roof. They allowed me to bring my dogs. I have an opportunity to get back on my feet,” he said. “There is food, electricity, heat, and with the bus coming close by, it’s OK. I didn’t mind this place.”
He said he doesn’t really want to relocate to Saddlebrook but is prepared to move wherever they Plains would remain open for six months. But demand was far lower than expected, with the camp’s population peaking at roughly 100 and dwindling to 45 late last month.
“At capacity (Great Plains) was supposed to have 700 but the demand wasn’t there when it opened,” Anderson said. “That’s why we’re trying to wind it down.”
Ainsley Tymchyna said she found out her family of six will be moving again soon on Thursday, during a casual chat with a Municipal Affairs employee.
Tymchyna was asking about plans to set up a skating rink at the camp. She was instead told the government was gradually transferring people out of the camp.
There had been rumours before Christmas that officials planned to wind down Great Plains, she noted.
“I’m pretty mad, actually,” she said after hearing that the camp was, in fact, closing.
With four kids, Tymchyna’s family is the largest in the small Great Plains “temporary neighbourhood.” ask him to move, praising the government for helping him during dire times.
Jeff McIntyre, who moved from his sister’s place to Great Plains a month ago, said he, too, wouldn’t put up a fuss about where he gets relocated.
But McIntyre, who also lost his home and job when the flood hit, said he is worried about what kind of assistance and housing he qualifies for, adding he hopes to re-launch his independent business as a jeweller.
Anderson said provincial employees are consulting with Great Plains’ residents to determine their housing needs.
While some may be transferred to Saddlebrook, others may be moved into social housing units operated by the Calgary Housing Company.
“A lot of Great Plains renters are low-income ... so they would be eligible for social housing,” Anderson said.
“We’re working with (CHC) to find alternate accommodations because there may be some folk who don’t want to go to Saddlebrook.”
City council has asked about repurposing the trailers as affordable housing. City administrators have recommended against it, because safety codes prohibit use of the unit kitchens.
The camp’s life span is also limited, since it sits in the path of a future extension of 61st Avenue S.E.