Residents of Summerside’s Evergreen Village trailer park are once again facing the prospect of losing their homes, with a new eviction notice giving them just one year to move. The situation is a painful echo of a similar crisis last year. For many, the latest notice brings back feelings of despair and uncertainty. “The notice we got on Friday was the official eviction notice,” said Reasha Walsh, a park resident. “When the letter came on the door and my kids were home and they decided to watch my kids just like, crumble, it was pretty rough.” The residents are grappling with difficult questions about their future. “How do we afford it? Where do we live? There’s a lot of boundaries on where mini homes can be in Summerside,” Walsh said. “Do you move your house? Do you completely abandon your house? And for others, leave the loan that you have on it and be stuck with this debt, and no asset for it? It’s pretty scary for everyone.” Fifty-seven homes, housing nearly 200 people, are now under threat from this new deadline. “This is our home. This is what we work for. This is why we came to the Island here, you know, to enjoy life, not getting kicked around like football,” said resident Steve Walsh. Just over a year ago, residents were given the option to purchase their lots for $40,000 or leave. At that time, the provincial government announced it would intervene to help acquire the park. In November 2024, former housing minister Steven Myers expressed optimism. “I’m happy with the direction it’s going. And I’m quite confident that we’re going to see the end of it here now before Christmas,” he said at the time. However, the situation has taken a turn. The province said in a statement to CTV News that while the property owner did propose a sale price, they objected to the province’s request for an independent fair market evaluation. The province argued such an appraisal would not accurately reflect the land’s true value due to low revenues. The provincial government is advising residents to seek assistance from Renting PEI and the PEI Residential Rental Office. For many, moving their homes is not feasible. “I don’t think our unit, our home, would not survive a move anyways. There’s nowhere to go,” said park resident Gail Cameron. “We love our little corner, I love my neighbors, everything is accessible, it’s perfect, this is setup for families and it shouldn’t be destroyed.” The impact is also felt by the younger residents. “I’d be really upset, it’s, like, a great community here, everybody’s really nice and I have some great friends here, I wouldn’t want to leave that,” said 10-year-old Adira Walsh. Summerside Mayor Dan Kutcher acknowledged the city’s efforts to address the issue, but noted that housing falls under provincial jurisdiction. Kutcher has been involved in meetings with the owner, provincial leaders and residents. “It’s not the kind of activity I’d like to see in the community, you’re putting people’s homes in jeopardy,” Kutcher said. “We can’t go in and buy all these parks. We just simply couldn’t afford it and put in all of the proper infrastructure. Again, the way I look at it is basically try to stay ahead of whatever we can do to help, and to be there supporting residents, put in action whatever we can.” CTV News contacted the park’s owner about the eviction notice and the future of Evergreen Village but they declined to comment. For more P.E.I. news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
