The MHA for Bonavista is raising concerns about Crown lands that he says has been plaguing many residents in the province over the years.

Craig Pardy highlights the story of Pauline and Randy Diamond. According to Pardy, the couple built a home on some family land back in the 1980s, but after a cancer diagnosis, they decided to move. However, when they went to sell the home they found out that it was situated on Crown land, thus blocking the sale.

However, Pardy explains that the Diamonds are not the only ones embroiled in such a legal battle. He knows of at least nine or 10 others going through the same challenges.

He says an extensive study on such matters was completed by the PC government back in 2015 and recommendations were made. However, Pardy asserts that no progress has been made in the seven years that the Liberals have been in charge.

Pardy says the recommendations that came out of that report should be adopted, the most significant of which being the reinstatement of squatter’s rights. According to Pardy, that means residents would have to show 20 years of continuous occupation or ownership if in a municipality, or 30 years in an unincorporated area, to have rights to the land.

Minister Derrick Bragg says there are numerous homeowners in this province living on lands that they don’t have a clear title to, and sometimes those situations can be complex.

As an example, he says a grandfather could have passed land on to his six kids. That land was subdivided among the kids “with a handshake” and now the next generation has to figure out who owns it. He says government will soon be looking to do consultations on the matter.