Midfield mobile homeowners say shady development plans after their money

Several residents of the Midfield Mobile Home trailer park say they have become the prey to shady people trying to take advantage of their plight and fleece them of their money.

The recent scams only add to the residents' woes, as the park is slated to close in 2017 and they have been fighting with the city over compensation.

Rudy Prediger has had several phone calls from developers who have plans to help them, but in both cases would only end up very costly.

"They're a bunch of money-hungry leeches," said Prediger. "They come and then they throw numbers at you and this guy wanted me to go to the bank with him so we could sign over our rent and everything else to go towards building a park."

Prediger wasn't falling for it, though.

"I asked him if he thought I fell off a turnip truck," he said.

$160,000 consulting fee

The plan involved charging residents a $160,000 consulting fee and have them sign over their rent cheques, which would go towards building a new park in Conrich — a hamlet about three kilometres east of the city.

He's also heard from a "Saskatchewan developer," among others.

"They're all after our money."

The residents have been through an emotional roller-coaster ride with the city's plans for the park.

Initially, residents were promised they would get a new park and everyone could move their trailers to it. The city has since changed the plans and said it's now closing the park in 2017.

Residents have three years to find a new place on their own. They've been offered counselling services, a $10,000 lump sum and $10,000 towards their moving costs.

Meanwhile, Lansdowne Equity Ventures says it wants to build an affordable mobile housing complex near 84th Street and Eighth Avenue northeast that could accommodate the residents, but the company says it won't guarantee old trailers will be allowed onto its otherwise modern site. It would prefer to sell new trailers to residents.