When Larry Penner, 74, and Jayme Penner, 69, bought a 25-acre parcel in the interior of British Columbia for $250,000 in 2002, with rolling hills, creeks, a waterfall, and lake views, the couple thought they had bought a piece of paradise.
Then the Penners found out there was a nearby concrete dam built by a government cabinet minister for personal use in the 1960s, one that was illegal and improperly constructed and leaving them on the hook for up to $200,000 to meet regulatory demands.
It turns out the property, situated 19 kilometres west of Kamloops, had water licences dating back to 1873, but unbeknownst to the Penners, a dam had been built on nearby Cherry Creek in 1967 by then-B.C. highways minister Philip Gaglardi….