The Importance of the Family Cottage

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A recent show on The Current, “Why conflict over cottage ownership is tearing families apart.” describes what happens when generational turnover occurs.  Although we were forced to tear down our cottage on Hastings Drive, Long Point, and are fighting to rebuild, quite a bit of this topic resonated with me.

"Barbara Benoliel, a psychologist and mediator who helps many families resolve succession disputes, tells The Current's Anna Maria Tremonti that cottages are the most contentious part of estate disputes.

"The cottage really represents the whole issue of family … so that's where their history is, that's why it's important," says Benoliel.

The meaning of the property that represents identity is why things get complicated when dealing with family members.

"What we are really challenging is the family identity," says Benoliel. "When we say this actual memory or this thing that we all share is going to now belong to one person. Would you give your family history to anyone? Of course not."

And yet we on Hastings Drive, on our lots designated Hazard Land, are expected to sit back quietly and watch while government agencies, NIMBYers, and other busybodies strip us of our rights as stewards of our own land.

It is our family identity that is being stripped away.

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-june-22-2016-1.3646853/why-conflict-over-cottage-ownership-is-tearing-families-apart-1.3646954


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