Returning snowbirds frustrated by late-opening summer communities
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All Cindy Deveau wants to do is go home.
Watching the worldwide coronavirus emergency unfold from her winter home outside Yuma, Ariz., the snowbird — like thousands in her situation — is heeding advice to return to Canada immediately.
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There’s only one hitch: She isn’t allowed anywhere near home for at least another month.
Deveau’s permanent address is a residence she owns in Melody Bay, a seasonal, lakeside community in Buckhorn, north of Peterborough, operated by Parkbridge, a property management company that oversees communities in Ontario, Alberta and the B.C. lower mainland.
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While many of Deveau’s neighbours are weekend cottagers, a handful live at Melody Bay full-time from spring until fall, wintering in the usual snowbird haunts like Florida or Arizona.
Deveau bought at Melody Bay in 2014 due to its long season — April 1 until Nov. 15 — which suited their snowbird lifestyle.
She said the few year-round residents who came back April 1 were accustomed to spending a few weeks retrieving water and bathing at the clubhouse as utilities couldn’t be restarted until the ground thawed.
But last year, due to management changes, owners were informed they wouldn’t be permitted to return until at least April 15.
Normally that would not be a huge issue. but considering the COVID-19 pandemic, the change has left many residents in the lurch.
“There’s been some people who have contacted Airbnbs and hotels in the area, and they’re not accepting anybody from the U.S.,” Deveau said.
While many residents who spoke with the Sun said they were content to wait things out, others face being cut off by their health insurance providers because of the outbreak.
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“Our hands are tied,” Deveau said.
“They keep saying it’s a safety issue and the infrastructure can’t handle people coming into the park, but it’s not going to be weekenders — people aren’t going to be racing to the lake that’s frozen and cold, it’s us that need somewhere to live.”
While she says she sympathizes, Katherine Gyles, Parkbridge executive vice-president of corporate strategy, reiterated they can’t let residents into the park until the utilities are turned on.
“We do appreciate there are some who treat them as their seasonal home, and that they’re snowbirds and have to come home,” she said.
“We are actively working to figure out where we can provide access, and we’ll do it as quickly as possible — it’s just a very difficult situation to manage.”
As for Melody Bay, Gyles said April 15 is their “best guess” for a re-opening date.
bpassifiume@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @bryanpassifiume
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