Whitehorse 'purple cabin' leaseholders appeal court order to vacate contested property

Eric DeLong has lived in a purple house in downtown Whitehorse for the last four years approximately. Now, he's fighting for the lease for the land the home sits on to be renewed, after the Yukon government recently said it has expired. ( Wayne Vallevand/CBC - image credit)
Eric DeLong has lived in a purple house in downtown Whitehorse for the last four years approximately. Now, he's fighting for the lease for the land the home sits on to be renewed, after the Yukon government recently said it has expired. ( Wayne Vallevand/CBC - image credit)

The long legal battle over the future of the so-called purple cabin in downtown Whitehorse is set to continue.

Lawyer Vincent Larochelle filed the appeal this week on behalf of Eric DeLong and Len Tarka. The appeal looks to set aside an order from the Supreme Court of the Yukon issued in September.

"Obviously, an appeal is not an easy thing to win," LaRochelle said. "My clients are just going to hope for the best and hope that the court of appeal sees things their way."

Len Tarka has been leasing the site from the Yukon government since 1991. He's subleased the property to DeLong who has been living there for the past seven years. The wording of the original agreement was "30 years, or the life of the Lessee."

Last month the Yukon Supreme Court ordered that the building needed to be vacated within 90 days. The court also concluded that Tarka's lease ended in September 2021.

The appeal asks the Yukon Court of Appeal to set aside the Supreme Court ruling as long as Tarka is alive.