Man bites dog story: Canadian town wants RVers to stay at Walmart

Mission, British Columbia – a quiet city of 36,000 – is supported principally by forestry and a teeny bit of agriculture. Still, it's big enough to have its own hockey team, the Mission City Outlaws.

Until a few days ago, RVers could take on the team name – Outlaws – if they dared to stay overnight on the parking lot at Walmart. But in an exceedingly rare move, Mission's local lawmakers decided to rescind a ban they placed on overnighting at Wally, one that's been in place since the big store opened its doors four years ago.

Since the trend for years has been for municipalities to put out the "RVers Not Welcome" signs at Wally World, one has to wonder, what led to such a 'revolutionary' bit of thinking? If you're thinking that somehow MONEY is involved, you're right. Survey: What's the most-often asked question at the Mission visitor center? Answer: Where can I park my RV overnight here in town? And the answer to that question? "We don't have any place."

Given that choice, RVers simply take their rigs, and their tourist dollars, down the road to Maple Ridge, 20 minutes away.

Interestingly, the only commercial property in town where RV overnight parking was directly banned by ordinance was at Walmart. RVers could park in other privately owned lots in town without fear of tickets or visits from police – but many local business owners apparently weren't open to the idea. Now, assuming that local Walmart store officials are in agreement, you can park your rig, shop, and snooze in peace in Mission.

Wouldn't it be something if other local governments got the drift?

For more De Maris observations, check out the weekly YourRVPodcast.com.

Shooting at Walmart raises concerns of overnighting bans

An episode involving police and "Walmart campers," has left one man dead, a police officer shot, another man hospitalized, and a number of family members in jail. The Cottonwood, Arizona confrontation has also rung up fears that retail giant and RVer-favorite, Walmart, might consider shutting down overnight parking at their stores.

While details of the March 24 incident are still hazy, it appears that a Christian-music performing family group had been camped out at the Cottonwood store for some days. Late on that Saturday night, one of the family members was using one of the store's bathrooms, while two others stood guard at the door. When a Walmart employee attempted to enter, a scuffle broke out, which ended up outside in the parking lot.

Police responded to calls for assistance, and a Walmart security officer attempted to help. It's reported that the first officer on the scene was assaulted and one of the suspects, a family member, allegedly took the officer's gun. Backup officers arrived, the confrontation got more involved. In the end, one of the police officers was shot in the leg, and a family member shot in the head and killed. Another family member is hospitalized.

On learning that the family had been living in the parking lot, the media immediately pounced on the idea of "camping," at Walmart. Man-on-the-street interviews ensued with some locals claiming they'd been frightened or otherwise put-out by people staying in the lot. Cottonwood Walmart officials have met with local police to "discuss solutions to extended camping" in their lot.

Greg Gerber, editor of RV Daily Report, looks at the situation as an issue just waiting to happen. Writes Gerber, "What turned out to be a wonderful perk offered by Walmart to RV owners everywhere, will come to an end because some idiots opt to use Walmart as a campground, rather than as a safe place to park an RV for a few hours to catch some sleep."

One would hope that cool heads will prevail. The fact that this family was camped out in the parking lot for several days shouldn't figure into whether to allow RVers to overnight or not. A review of news accounts over the last several months reveals shooting incidents at RV parks and campgrounds around the country. Do we shut down the parks? Some figure Walmart will find the "risks" of allowing overnighters will outweigh the benefits that they see. While we've never seen a formal study, just hobnobbing around the campfire reveals that plenty of RVer money gets passed into Walmart tills when an overnight stay takes place.

Nevertheless, Gerber's comments are well-taken. Those who "set up shop" in a Walmart lot give the rest of us in the RV community a black eye. For heavens sakes, do we really need to set out the lawn chairs, extend the awning, even grill a steak on the barbee? It's only asking to have the locals – and local RV park owners – raise an unnecessary stink.

Check out Your RV Podcast, the De Maris' weekly, half-hour program on the RV lifestyle. Get it from iTunes, or visit yourrvpodcast.com.