Man argues current Building Code is overkill for small, simple structures
Christian Gammon-Roy
Tribune
The misfortune of Cache Bay resident John Ridge has been stirring up a lot of attention and public reaction, especially after he was forced out of his home and locked out by police and town officials on May 14. Ridge has been facing pressure from the municipality to make his tiny home compliant with town by-laws and the Building Code, and was given notices by municipal officials that the place was deemed unsafe to occupy. The town initially noticed Ridge’s home in September 2025, as the resident had only applied for a permit to build a shed and not a permanent residence. While they issued several compliance orders starting last fall, they waited until this month to take drastic action, boarding up the building and prohibiting its use until the structure is made compliant. Ridge has since garnered a lot of sympathy after posting video updates of his situation on Facebook, saying the government has basically made him homeless.
On Friday, May 22, Ridge took the time to answer some questions and explain why has not complied with the municipality’s requests. Walking up the property to meet him, the first thing you notice is a large pit with cement blocks and other remaining parts of the house that once occupied the property. When Ridge bought the place roughly 3 years ago, he explains, there was the husk of a house that had burned, and that pit is what remains of the foundation. At the end of the driveway is a 2-storey garage, and to the left of the garage, on a raised stone patio, is where Ridge’s tiny home sits. On the side of the structure, a drainpipe sticks out, going back into the foundation of the old house, sitting on cinderblocks to keep the pipe level. This, Ridge explains, is the drainpipe for his water.
When Ridge bought the property in the Summer of 2022, he initially lived in the upper portion of the garage, but says he needed to find a safer alternative with no stairs as he suffered from seizures. The idea of building a tiny home, and having everything within reach and on a single level, was ideal for him, and so he set out to do just that. Ridge decided to get a shed structure, and then he began converting it into a functional home for himself and his dog.
Ridge says his problems began just last year, when the lots neighbouring his property were sold by a builder. “As soon as he showed up and started clearing the lot, within 20 minutes, he pulled up the water line, and as soon as he pulled up the water line, that triggered the building inspector to come out,” he recounts. He watched the municipal staff as they checked the water lines, which eventually led to his property, and that’s when the building inspector noticed what Ridge had built. “The day that he came with the water line problem, he said that ‘you can’t be doing what you’re doing here,’ and he left. The next day, he came back with the fire department, and he put the notices up,” Ridge recalls.