A REAL ghost town! Residents of a Canadian island abandon their homes and relocate as part of a $20 million cost-saving government plan which will cut off power and services but one couple spend $50K of their own money to stay put
- Only two people plan to stay living on Little Bay Islands, a town in Newfoundland and Labrador in the Canada's far east, going into 2020
- The Canadian government have given residents on the small island a December 31 deadline before they permanently cut off services, including electricity
- Almost all of the island's residents have now abandoned their homes for good and have headed back to the mainland ahead of Christmas
- Mike and Georgina Parsons are the only two who have chosen to stay in the ghost town that up until recently had a population of just 71
- The desertion of the town comes after residents of Little Bay Islands voted unanimously earlier this year to resettle after years of failed attempts
People who have lived on a tiny Canadian island for decades have slowly been abandoning their town after the government announced it would be cutting off power and other services for good.
Only two people plan to stay living on Little Bay Islands, a town in Newfoundland and Labrador in the country's far east, going into 2020.
The Canadian government have given residents on the small island a December 31 deadline before they permanently cut off services, including electricity, snow removal and even ferries.
Almost all of the island's residents have now abandoned their homes for good and have headed back to the mainland ahead of Christmas.
Only two people plan to stay living on Little Bay Islands, a town in Newfoundland and Labrador in Canada's far east, going into 2020
Mike and Georgina Parsons are the only two who have chosen to stay in the ghost town that up until recently had a population of just 71.
The desertion of the town comes after residents of Little Bay Islands voted unanimously earlier this year to resettle after years of failed attempts.
The years-long push to resettle slowly fractured the once tight-knit community with the island's fish plant closing back in 2011 and the only school shutting its doors four years ago.
According to official data, the government will save roughly $20 million over the next two decades from the relocation.
The savings will mostly come from cutting the ferry service to the island.
The Parsons have spent $50,000 preparing to stay on the island once the government officially deserts it.
Mike and Georgina Parsons are the only two who have chosen to stay in the ghost town that up until recently had a population of just 71
Almost all of the island's residents have now abandoned their homes for good and have headed back to the mainland ahead of Christmas
The desertion of the town comes after residents of Little Bay Islands voted unanimously earlier this year to resettle after years of failed attempts
The years-long push to resettle slowly fractured the once tight-knit community with the island's fish plant closing back in 2011 and the only school shutting its doors four years ago
They told CTV News that they installed a solar power system and a fresh water well.
The couple have also been stocking up on medication, dry and canned goods and now have six freezers full of protein to last two years.
They've also got half-a-dozen boats in case they need to get themselves to the mainland - despite possibly being stuck on the island for up to six weeks due to arctic ice in the winter.
'We're not nervous at all,' Georgina said during an interview in October. 'It still feels a bit unreal.'
Her husband Mike added: 'The town has gotten much quieter... Every day now people are packing up and leaving.'
The government has paid out residents as part of a resettlement program to help them relocate elsewhere in Canada.
The relocation has brought some controversy, however, with some residents who own homes on the island claiming they were given nothing by the government.
Those residents, who say they paid taxes on the island for years, were told they weren't eligible for compensation because they only lived there part time.
According to official data, the government will save roughly $20 million over the next two decades from the relocation. The savings will mostly come from cutting the ferry service to the island
The government has paid out residents as part of a resettlement program to help them relocate elsewhere in Canada
The Little Bay Islands town council sent 76 ballots to the government back in 2017 to start the process of resettling.
Of the 76, 55 people were found to be permanent residents, according to the government.
All of those 55 residents voted to resettle and a collective $8.7 million was paid out to them.
Juanita and Gord Hull were among those who were not deemed to be permanent residents.
They told CBC that they had lived on the island for almost 70 years but were forced to move away in 2016 due to health reasons.
Despite still owning their home and paying taxes, the Hulls say they were not given any compensation.
'I was hurt and I thought we was discriminated (against),' she said.
'There's bad feelings. And the ones like myself, got turned down, they feels exactly the same way that I do.'
Another resident, Doris Tucker, said: 'I felt insulted'.
'And I felt, you know, of anyone - I was born there in 1939, I went to school there, and I worked there.'
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December 24, 2019 at 11:31PM
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Canadian island turns into ghost town after all but two residents leave - Daily Mail
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