ROTHENBURGER – Squatters have taken Jamieson Creek away from the public

JAMIESON CREEK tumbles among huge rocks through a narrow canyon flanked by a thick forest of cedar trees, dropping in a beautiful water fall towards the North Thompson River.

A century ago and more, it fed an 18-mile long irrigation ditch that provided water for the fertile farmland on the valley bottom. In recent times, it’s been a treasured recreation area for hiking, picnicking, camping, mountain biking and fishing, easily accessed along the Jamieson Creek forestry road. It’s been touted as a great place for a family outing and to observe nature.

Now, though, residents in lower Jamieson-Black Pines are angry. No doubt, a lot of others in the region who have enjoyed Jamieson Creek are, as well. They fear they’ve lost the creek area to squatters who have moved in and set up several long-term camps, and are frustrated because nothing is being done about it.

So they’ve taken to social media to vent to each other and try to strategize on how to get authorities to sit up and pay attention, or how to fix the situation themselves.

“All the squatters up there are terrible,” wrote one in a Reddit post. “Nearly all the spots that were nice to have a fire, roast some hotdogs and chill are now occupied by people WHO DUMP THEIR SEWAGE INTO THE CREEK.”

Not everyone is so pissed off. “Suspect the Jamieson Creek squatters just wanna be left alone and don’t wanna have nosy neighbours from Kamloops poking around their campsite,” an anonymous commenter suggested. “They’ve established a campsite out in the woods, off the side of a Forest Service Road, which in my mind is better than setting up a camp in a more visible place.”

By far, though, most demand removal of the squatters, pointing to the unsightly mess, possible fire and health hazards, impact on fish habitat and loss of their recreational opportunities.

The first camp is located four km. up from Westsyde Road, prominently displaying a Canada flag on a couple of sheets of plywood in front of a travel trailer with an awning. Tarps cover a rudimentary storage space. A couple of dogs are heard barking.

A short distance up the road, the main feature of another camp is a worse-for-wear Citation travel trailer with a stove pipe sticking out of a window opening. Still further up, on the opposite side, a pickup truck with a rowboat on it is parked beside a teepee-like structure, while a travel trailer is visible deeper into the foliage. A dog barks somewhere nearby.

Locals have well documented the situation with photos that show rubbish, gas cans, an old wood stove set up outside, clothes hanging on lines between trees, lawn chairs, tarps for shade and cover for vehicles, tents, tires, a bicycle, various bins and buckets and odds and ends of things littering the ground.

A resident posted a photo on the local Facebook page of a shooting target near the road. Another put up a photo he said was of a fire started in the bush at the five-km. mark. Another photo shows logs dropped across entrance points, presumably to deter others from entering.

“Why do they have to live like pigs?” another concerned resident asked.

“This needs to end now. Our homes, livelihoods, stock, water quality and are all under threat while this ridiculous mess continues,” said one.

“We don’t go up there anymore,” wrote still another. “They’ve taken over any access to the water and I’m not risking my dogs’ safety or chance of eating something. It’s such a shame, it used to be so beautiful. Hopefully one day we can go up there again.”

They worry about effluent going into the creek, and fires being lit and getting out of control. There are even claims of petty theft and gas siphoning on the increase at properties below, though it’s unclear who’s responsible.

So what to do about it? Every conceivable government authority, plus RCMP have been contacted multiple times — the Conservation Officer Service, RAPP (ironically, a road sign near the camps advises the public to ‘Report all poachers and polluters’), Thompson-Nicola Regional District, Ministry of Water, Land and Resources, Forests Ministry, federal Fisheries.

And so far, nothing has happened, and people feel they’re being ignored. The TNRD, for example, has been labeled as “useless,” and “spineless.”

Jayme Hallstrom, who lives not far from Jamieson, has taken a lead in trying to get some action, reaching out to officials asking for clarity on whose jurisdiction the camps fall under. He’s sent letters to several ministries as well as MLAs Peter Milobar (whose office has replied that it’s not in his riding) and Ward Stamer, and TNRD Area P director Lee Morris, telling them about concerns over waste management and fire hazard and asking for clarity on jurisdiction.

“Extended camping often results in the collection of firewood and, in some case, the cutting of live trees or the destruction of natural vegetation for building shelters and maintaining campfires,” he wrote, noting that long-term unsupervised camps present “an unacceptable danger to the forest, wildlife and nearby communities.”

Hallstrom says he’s been told by the CO office that it’s understaffed and unable to get involved.

It’s unlikely RCMP would become involved, either, unless there’s evidence of a crime committed. Which, in fact, happened last year when a squatter known as “the mountain man” threatened some people with a firearm and was arrested.

As for the TNRD, it has a small bylaw enforcement department that has, in the past, cracked down on the use of RVs being used as permanent residences. And it does have influence with other levels of government.

At the least, the variety of concerns needs to be addressed. Is raw sewage being directed into the creek? Are outdoor fires being lighted? Do the camps present a genuine health hazard? Such things must surely be enforced against.

Beyond those questions, is the plain fact that the camps are illegal. B.C. law says camping on Crown land is limited to 14 days in any one place. There’s no such thing as “squatters’ rights” in B.C. And what about the public’s right?

So why isn’t the law being enforced, when the problem has so clearly been raised? Lack of staffing, as in the CO’s office? A somewhat similar situation has existed at the Pritchard beach park for years and hasn’t been resolved. Indeed, the problem exists in other areas as well.

Of course, there’s the broader social issue of why people become squatters in the first place, and what to do about that.

Jamieson area residents say the squatters’ camps along the road and the creek aren’t new — some have been there for years. The only solution may be political, with local representatives raising enough hell in Victoria to persuade the provincial government to do something.

In the meantime, residents struggle to find their own solutions. One suggested they drive up and down the road past the camps honking their horns and stirring up as much dust as possible. Even a protest on the road has been proposed.

Hallstrom, however, believes the answer is a cooperative approach among TNRD, Conservation Officers and RCMP to put the squatters on notice that they must vacate within 30 days or risk having their trailers impounded. That sounds like a practical way of getting the situation resolved.

So far, though, the squatters remain in charge.

Mel Rothenburger is a former regular contributor to CFJC-TV and CBC radio, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, and a Webster Foundation Commentator of the Year finalist. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired daily newspaper editor.  He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.