Whitehorse Walmart is going to ban overnight RV parking

[explorenorth]

Camp Wal-Mart in Whitehorse will be no more by the end of the summer.

Local store officials confirm to the RUSH, the plan is to put up signs prohibiting overnight Recreational Vehicle parking and camping in their lot at the end of August.

Management says they have received a number of customer complaints about having to dodge massive RV's while trying to park, and there's been a lot of garbage left behind.

Wal-Mart's policy on overnight RV parking varies from store to store, and management says many stores across Canada are moving to no overnight camping in their lots.

(From CKRW)

[Veebyes]

Yup, that should do it. Of course the policy will have to be enforced for word to get around.

[tony_lee]

This should settle the Walmart situation, this is there policy.

Not really. Pretty sure that notice was already in force several weeks ago, and the manager was actively enforcing it with doorknocks and notices taped to RVs.
Policy mooted for next year is total ban.

[DiskDoctr]

c.traveler2 wrote:

Sounds fair and understanding. Also gives them the ability to make exceptions as they see fit (ie breakdown).

[c_traveler2]

This should settle the Walmart situation, this is there policy.

[ppine]

sounds like a bad joke.

[explorenorth]

AKsilvereagle wrote:
The demographics and regional area of Whitehorse that some people do not realize is that over two thirds of the Yukon population actually live within the immediate area....which stresses the demand on city infrastructure in itself as you do not see Whitehorse growing even more like it should to keep up with demand....

I suggest that you haven't been paying attention. The new community called Whistle Bend is the largest of the recent additions to the City of Whitehorse.

[Veebyes]

Everyone has a way of splitting the hairs & going "but, but, but". The bottom line is that it is not the responsibility of Walmart or the city of Whitehorse to provide accommodation to any of these people who are effectively squatters.

Camping at Walmart for days prevents access for Walmart shoppers. Camping on the side of Whitehorse streets prevents access to Whitehorse businesses & residents.

Again I am a Walmart overnighter, though never in Whitehorse. I come in late afternoon, park away from the store, slides out & all, go in & get what I need, check with the duty manager or somebody, get some sleep & gone in the not too early morning. What I do is what the typical Walmart overnighter does. I leave without a trace of being there.

I don't have an answer. Perhaps a large area of mostly level ground exists somewhere in the Whitehorse area that these people can use.

[AKsilvereagle]

The reality of this particular Walmart in Whitehorse upon turning into a full fledged refugee camp in the summer months during the recent years as many have mentioned here:

Many Travelers Passing Thru Whitehorse as the Alaska Highway is the Lifeline-

Seasonal Workers That Cannot Afford Rental Properties-

Lack of Resources for 'Reasonable' Priced Lots for the Nomads and Drifters-

Broken Down Vehicles Upon Waiting For Parts and or an Appointment for Repair-

Other Yukoners and Northwest Territories Residents Having to Extend Duration of Stays within Whitehorse Due to Personal, Medical, Government Business, Etc. That Can Barely Afford To Run A Vehicle and Travel Long Distances Let Alone Have A Suitable Place To Stay-



The demographics and regional area of Whitehorse that some people do not realize is that over two thirds of the Yukon population actually live within the immediate area....which stresses the demand on city infrastructure in itself as you do not see Whitehorse growing even more like it should to keep up with demand....

Whitehorse is the central supply hub for all of the Yukon Territory, and Inuvik NWT which is such a massive area to provide....

Whitehorse has to rely on Edmonton and other large cities for their own supply hub, which are pretty far away.

Fairbanks is even much closer to Whitehorse than Edmonton in that respect, however the International Border and 'foreign' goods from the United States would make other Canadian companies and corporations lose out if Fairbanks Alaska would be a main hub supplier for Whitehorse to shed some relief on receiving specialty goods much faster....

People in Whitehorse wait much longer for a part they need for their rig, or goods they specifically need that are not in stock, you get the drift....

In southern Alberta where I stayed at the local government and private organization 'campgrounds' like Lions Club at Red Deer and Rocky Mountain House in the past (which were reasonably priced I might add), I really felt like I was well out of place because of the majority of guests there were year round residents with Alberta plates living in their trucks, vans and RV's as you can tell they were settled there, so yeah you can see the hardships as those areas have much more resources than Whitehorse does.

As the 'typical vacationing RV'er' that we are here, stopping in the Walmart in Whitehorse for an overnighter or a couple days stay to enjoy Whitehorse certainly doesn't hurt as I can certainly speak for all of us here would never stay at a Walmart parking lot for days and weeks on end, however it is a place of business as I agree it sure got out of hand with all the diehards that seek refuge there for long term stays, but the careless ones certainly spoiled it for the others and it has been a long time coming for Whitehorse Walmart to finally stop the practice.

Because of the reasons above that us RV.Net members posted about the situation at hand, it sure helped a lot of people over the years that needed to stay at the Whitehorse Walmart parking lot for an extended time due to the lack of resources and financial hardships.

In 2010 due to the Taylor Highway washouts, a lot of people were glad the Whitehorse Walmart parking lot existed due to the influx of travelers as all the private and government campsites were full.

Before Walmart, I always overnighted along Front St. and 1st Ave. in the past until you could not get a parking spot anymore as everyone else would cram that area.

[JaxDad]

The other point most seem to be missing on this is good old supply & demand.

If there was a big demand for campsites, someone WOULD build them. A huge portion of the economy in such places is centred around parting tourists from their money.

As I mentioned on another thread here recently I had reason to be in northern Quebec some time back, several of the group going were surprised there were no c/g’s in the area. Our local contact said that was because it was only a few tourists who would want one, everybody else grew up camping anywhere they liked, just off a road next to river or lake, etc., and a c/g held no interest for them.

[tony_lee]

If you cannot afford a CG for your multi day, even seasonal, stops, you can't afford the lifestyle.

Often stated but still as irrelevant and untrue now as it was 20 years ago. I CAN afford the campground fees but I'm not crazy so I choose to wallydock and boondock in preference to being jammed into commercial campgrounds unless there is absolutely no choice.
Multiday stops are the same, but obviously there is an opportunity to stay in USFS dispersed campsites, BLM and similar where 14 days are allowed before moving on. Capelas in Anchorage allow 3 nights as does Fred Meyers in Soldotna and there are other walmarts that officially allow 2 or three nights as well. Their property, their choice, so I see no sensible reason for not taking advantage of it if the situation suits.

This is where you will find me

NOT in RV ghettos.

My way of looking at it is I can afford to stay in campgrounds because I don't waste my hard-earned money staying in campgrounds - and see not reason to change

[Veebyes]

The multi day "campers" at Walmart will eventually spoil it for the rest of us who stop there in transit, do some shopping & get a little rest & move on the next day.

If you cannot afford a CG for your multi day, even seasonal, stops, you can't afford the lifestyle.

[Flyboy320]

FYI.................

https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/why-are-so-many-motorhomes-parked-at-walmart/wcm/9bedc5b6-b4de-412d-abb7-33911b552276

[JaxDad]

Whitehorse is just the one we’re talking about, but it’s far from being the only place with the same problem.

There was a tidbit in the local news where my summer place is, a township with a permanent population of about 650 people, but during the summer it’s around 20,000 people. To say that it lacks the infrastructure to support that kind of population is a vast understatement.

A small bedroom in a shared house starts at $500 / month. Folks with a bit of land get upwards (if they’re within walking distance of jobs) of $1,000 / month for a broken down TT. A local marine came under scrutiny when it was learned that they had filled their winter boat storage yard with a 50 person ‘man camp’ complete with bath house and kitchen unit.

Numerous local businessmen have tried to get the township to allow them to build large dormitories to house summer staff, it was a non-starter. Even if the goobermint was to consider it, the NIMBY’s would riot in the streets.

No difference IMHO than the ‘Walmart effect’ nobody wants to pay a PENNY more than necessary, but at the same time rails against cheap ‘made in China’ junk. When was the last time you saw anything except perishable food products that wasn’t offshore stuff?

Nobody wants to pay $20 for a hamburger just because it’s expensive to get seasonal employees either.

[westernrvparkow]

Ralph Cramden wrote:

WE-C-USA wrote:
I have agree, it's not Walmart's problem where they go. It's the employers of those seasonal workers to assist finding or provide a place to park their RV.
If that can't happen, then it's up to the city of Whitehorse to respond.

How is where an employee lives the employers or city governments responsibility?

When you remove personal responsibility from the equation, they are all that is left.