Seasonal trailer owners allegedly told to move out or buy new living units

Deb Posthumus walked around the empty lot that was once home to her summer oasis near Goderich, Ont.

“We invested $40,000 last year, and this year I sold the trailer for $4,000. So, there goes my semi-retirement. Now we have to start over again,” she said.

Posthumus said she was amongst 19 seasonal residents at the Bluewater Village Trailer and RV Park that were given the option of moving out or buying hybrid living units, similar to tiny homes, earlier this summer.

Sarah Patterson was also amongst those required to trade up or leave.

“This year we renewed for eight months. We paid our fees, and three business days later, we got an eviction notice, unless we bought a $250,000 trailer with a 10 year lease,” said Patterson.

The company that bought Bluewater Village three years ago, Forge and Foster, said no one is being “evicted.”

Deb Posthumus looks at the empty site that used to house her trailer at Bluewater Village, located near Goderich, Ont., in October 2023. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)

“These are seasonal agreements to occupy a site within the park. They come up for renewal annually, with no guarantee to occupy the same site from year to year. This is standard within the RV resort operating model in North America. We have plans to upgrade a number of sites within the park and our guests have several options to consider as part of these upgrades,” the company explained.

But Bluewater Village residents said it was not right to allow people to buy trailers on sites that the park owners were planning to upgrade. Residents like Patterson and Posthumus both bought trailers within the past two years.

“They’ve allowed them to invest thousands of dollars to move into the park, and now they’ve not renewed their leases. They can’t come back, knowing what that plan was before they even bought the park,” said Bluewater Village Tenant’s Association President, Betty Blasdell.

Kathy Dokton stands in an empty lot at Bluewater Village in October 2023, near Goderich, Ont., where her trailer stood for more than 10 years. (Scott Miller/CTV News London) “How could they consciously sell me this trailer, knowing they’re going to be telling me to get out, that’s dirty business and, I’m not happy about it. I’m really angry now,” said Posthumus.

The Bluewater Village Tenant’s Association has a date with Ontario’s Landlord and Tenant Board next spring to deal with a myriad of complaints and concerns related to the management of the trailer and RV park, which is home to 34 full time sites and 38 seasonal ones.

“What’s happening here is disheartening, and it’s shameful. How they are treating us here, who have been here, who have paid? Heartless is what they are,” said Kathy Dokton, who was amongst those not to have her lease renewed, after 10 years at Bluewater Village.

“You have no rights as a seasonal leasee, and that’s what’s really hard to take,” said Patterson, who was able to find another site at Bluewater Village to call her family’s summer home, but she’s not sure how long it will last. 

Residents of Bluewater Village, located near Goderich, Ont. talk amongst themselves in October 2023. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)