A proposal has reached the desk of the Housing Minister that, if signed, will mean the immediate eviction of residents staying illegally at the old Club Med property in St. George's.

Minister David Burch said the proposal provides an alternative living arrangement for tenants already registered with the Bermuda Housing Corporation, but does not cover other people believed to be living there who haven't notified the Government of their presence.

The Minister explained that his focus is on those who have already followed the rules outlined by the Ministry of Housing.

He said: "Those are the only people that I'm interested in addressing because those are the only people I know exist — the ones who have registered with the Bermuda Housing Corporation (BHC)."

The Minister did not specifically say yesterday how many people have registered with BHC or how many may have ducked the registry list. So it's difficult to estimate how many people will be forced out into the street if the proposal in question is signed.

Mr. Burch suggested the current course of action was the only way for him to proceed and meet all the objectives fairly.

He said: "We are evicting all of the tenants at Club Med. We have no choice but to do so. That's what everybody in this country who has complained of our lack of action has asked for.

"We must not allow our citizens to live in a building that is clearly dangerous."

The Minister would not identify the alternative location tenants would be moved to, but said that the new location would also take the people displaced in the Leopard's Club fire earlier this year.

The political row over Club Med reached a fever pitch last Friday when Minister Burch, who is the Government's leader in the Upper House, got into a raised voices Senate debated with Opposition Sen. Gina Spence-Farmer.

Mrs. Spence-Farmer has become an advocate for Bermudians seeking shelter at Club Med. She has criticised the Government for not properly addressing the plight of homelessness and for allowing squatters to live in less than safe conditions on property owned by the taxpayer. She levelled those same previously stated criticisms in the Senate Chamber last week.

But this time her remarks received a fiery reply from Sen. Burch who said if he had his way she'd be arrested for allegedly enabling the people at Club Med to break the law.

Yesterday Minister Burch would not explain when he expected to make his ultimate decision on whether or not the proposal would be signed.

Club Med ‘tenants’ face prospect of eviction