An 86-year-old pensioner says he had no choice but to sell his home after he was charged $4,000 for a paint job he did not ask for.
Bill Yarmovich says his home was painted without his permission, because he failed to meet a deadline set by the village of Ryley, Alta. When the village sent him the bill, he says he had no choice but to sell his freshly-painted home to "get this debt off my neck."
"Four thousand dollars doesn't grow on trees," Yarmovich told CTV Edmonton on Monday.
The retired contractor, who lives alone on his pension, says he tried to comply with village requests, but other things got in the way.
"I'm 86 years old. The motor gives out a little," he said.
The village of Ryley ordered the house painted after Yarmovich failed to comply with two orders to get it done himself, issued on Apr. 24, 2015, and June 1, 2016. The village says the paint job was necessary to "keep the village of Ryley clean and attractive."
A photo of the house taken before the paint job shows most of the white paint peeled away, revealing old, grey wood underneath.
"I started it. I did a third of it," Yarmovich said. But he broke his ribs while painting in 2015, and wasn't able to finish the job. "I fell off the ladder and I was a little bit incapacitated," he said.
Yarmovich added that 2016 was a rainy year, so he wasn't able to meet the deadline when it was extended to July 1.
The village bylaw says "no property owner shall allow any building… to become an unsightly premise."
However, CTV Edmonton identified several homes in the village that might easily be deemed unsightly. One home had a great deal of peeling white paint, and several metre-high tree stumps still in the ground along the edge of the sidewalk.
Another home had an unfinished side wall that neighbours say has been covered by tarps and plastic for years.
The home belongs to a village councillor.
Village officials sought legal counsel and released a statement through their lawyers on Tuesday.
They outlined the steps taken to urge Yarmovich to paint his home, and say he was given 16 months to do so. They also disputed his claim that a third of the house was painted, instead saying it was “eight or ten boards on the east gable.”
The village said Yarmovich also turned down an offer for a payment plan.
Yarmovich's neighbour, Joan Kischook, was happy to offer her opinion.
"You can't just go and do something to somebody else's house," she said.
"That's just not right."
Village of Ryley Statement RE: William Yarmovich by CTV Edmonton on Scribd
With files from CTV Edmonton
