Tiny towns popping up in the northern Ontario wilderness have come under government scrutiny, modern-day pioneers living in them insist they just want cheaper housing.
Catch-up: Since 2019, a development group called Boreal Forest Medieval Villages (BFMV) has bought plots of land and sold half-acre “shares” to people looking to live off the grid.
- BFMV has four communities in Ontario with a few hundred residents and, per its website, is working on a community in an unexpected, warmer locale — Panama.
Driving the news: The provincial government is now inspecting the villages and ordered BFMV to prove they are complying with laws and policies around planning, building, sewage disposal, and water.
Why it matters: In the midst of a housing crisis, inhabitants of the villages see these bush towns not as a crackpot idea but as a feasible solution for the creation of affordable housing.
- The villages are populated with small, low-cost homes or trailers on unincorporated townships, meaning land is relatively cheap, taxes are lower, and building rules are fewer.
Yes, but: As you can imagine, a bunch of people living in the woods without any proper infrastructure has raised concerns. Surrounding communities believe the villages will cause environmental damage and put immense strain on already tapped-out municipal services. And, with winter fast approaching, there are concerns about residents’ safety.—QH