Heritage Park residents file appeals of eviction, as owner considers city's extension request
Summerside city council voted this week to ask the landowner to extend eviction deadline
The lawyer representing the owner of Heritage Park Mobile Home Sites in Summerside, P.E.I., says his client has not yet decided if he will keep the mobile home park open longer, following a request from city council.
Last month, the 21 tenants of the site were served eviction notices, with the owner citing infrastructure deterioration as the main reason for closing the park.
A number of residents have said finding a new location for their mobile homes would be very difficult, and earlier this week, Summerside city council voted to ask the park's owner to extend the time of the eviction by a further six months.
Lawyer Derek Key is representing the property owner, Steven Malayny. Key says Malayny may be willing to consider the city's ask, but there would have to be some deals worked out.
"Who's going to pay for the water, who's going to pay for the sewer, who's going to pay the taxes," Key said.
"It's kind of like a store keeper being asked to keep his inventory on the shelf and not sell it. So we'll have to work those things out but I'm sure it will be positive discussions."
'No place to go'
The owner did give the residents just over the required six months notice to move their homes. Since then, some residents have filed appeals with the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission (IRAC). Key says he's been informed of 13 appeals so far.
Brenda Gallant is one of the people who filed, and she's still encouraging others to do the same. She says many are struggling to find other places to put their mobile homes, saying many parks now won't take the older models.
"We've been looking all around and I mean, there's nothing to rent. And we've been trying to look at houses [and] they're all taken, there's really no place to go," Gallant said.
A number of residents are trying to sell their mobile homes but say the offers are well below asking — some only a few hundred dollars. Some are taking on debt to find a solution.
"I managed to take everything I had saved and invest it and buy a lot to move my mother's home to," said Pamela Detlor.
As residents wait to hear if IRAC will hold a hearing, many say they will keep looking for openings in other mobile home parks, and hoping a solution can be worked out between the owner and the city.
When Summerside councillors voted to make the request to the owner, they also toyed with the idea of buying the land. A motion to do so was defeated, but council did vote to have the property professionally appraised.
More P.E.I. News
With files from Natalia Goodwin