Highway Built Around House in China

A few days ago, The Globe and Mail reported that an elderly couple in Wenling, China have refused to leave their home...where a highway was being built.

From The Globe and Mail:

“A Chinese couple refuses to leave their home to make way for a highway. Their home is the latest symbol of resistance in standoffs between homeowners and local officials accused of not offering enough compensation to vacate neighborhoods.”

The couple, 67 and 65, have been refusing to leave their home since 2008. Apparently, the compensation being offered isn’t even close to enough to build or purchase a new home. As you can see in the video above, some sections of the home have been demolished for the laying of the highway, but all the principal rooms have been kept intact for the safety of the couple.

Okay, so the questions we would like to ask are, would this fly in Canada? In Ontario? In Toronto? What would happen if a couple refused to leave their home for the expansion of the 407? How about in the case of new condo developments? When is an act like this righteous, and at what point are you standing in the way of progress?

We don’t know all the variables involved with this couple’s house in Wenling, China, so we’re not in a position to form a proper opinion, but these are all questions worth asking ourselves. It’s impossible to make everyone happy in a growing city of millions, like Toronto, but if the majority of individuals can recognize that growth is healthy, then maybe we can be have a world class city one day.

Photos come courtesy the National Post.