Nova Scotia municipalities differ on how to handle people in RVs

Shaun Allen walks by a pair of rain barrels and the grassy lawn he seeded by hand, and rounds the corner of his rural Queens County home: an 11.5-metre recreational vehicle.

"This is my little piece of paradise," Allen said in a recent interview. "Just like a pioneer in the olden days, that's how I feel."

Allen is among a growing number of Nova Scotians turning to RVs or travel trailers as permanent housing. As rents have spiked amid a shortage of accommodations, some have found getting an RV and either buying or renting land is their only affordable option — and better than a tent.

But there's a patchwork of rules across the province, and municipalities differ on whether it's legal to allow them permanently at all.

Allen and his teenage son have been living in the 2016 RV in East Port Medway for the past year, since he said he was priced out of renting in the Bridgewater area. He's also been on the South Shore waitlist for public housing for four years.

His $500 rent for the property includes power, and with income assistance and a part-time job, he said his quality of life has greatly improved.

"I'm starting to be able to save money and do things to make my life a little bit nicer instead of just living day to day and week to week," Allen said.

The Region of Queens Municipality allows RVs permanently in his area if they meet certain rules, and its policy states "council does not wish to be overly onerous on their use."

But this is unusual in the province. Many municipalities, especially towns and urban centres, have rules against living in RVs for more than a few weeks. Rural areas often allow them for camping, or don't have specific rules about them at all.

Bylaw enforcement is usually complaint-based, so whether someone gets to stay in an RV might depend on their neighbours — which Allen said creates an unfair system.

"I know people who are living in an RV nearby like mine, on their own land, and they're getting bugged about it, which is not right," he said.

Mary Wagner and her husband have been in their RV on family land in Upper Northfield, within the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg, for two years. There aren't rules against RV living in their area, and the municipality has even granted them a civic number.

Wagner created a full-time RV living Facebook page for Nova Scotians to share tips and ask questions, which she said now sits at nearly 3,000 members.

Although her family made the choice to leave a home and mortgage for an RV, Wagner said they're not the norm within the group. She said the vast majority of people post that an RV is their only option.