Residents breath a sigh of relief as North Bay Trailer Park sold to new owner
Months, if not years of stress have been lifted off the shoulders of those who reside in the North Bay Trailer Park.
On June 1, residents of the trailer park located just north of Prince Albert were told they had two months to pack up all of their belongings — including their mobile homes — and leave.
The issue has been brewing for years as a sewage lagoon that serves the community was found to be inadequate for the trailer park's needs. The landlord tried to have a new lagoon built, but the Rural Municipality of Buckland voted no to that proposed project.
Previous landlords have failed to address the situation in a timely fashion, and the Water Security Agency was forced to order the decommissioning of the lagoon last year. It was delayed as a solution appeared to be in the making, but that fell through.
Although many residents cut their losses and decided to move on, about 30 people are left in the North Bay Trailer Park.
Earlier this week they received the best news they could hope for — a letter from the current land owner stating the park had been sold to a buyer who wanted to ensure they would still have a place to call home.
"We are in the unknown triangle right now," resident Veeda Beaudrault said.
She said last Friday residents gathered in the Court of Queen's Bench for a hearing about the situation, where the park's current owner forfeited the case because the park was sold. It had been listed through multiple real estate agencies for roughly $1.2 million.
"There is a new buyer and I guess [they] takes possession on the 26th of July and we have no idea who it is," Beaudrault said. "We've heard a lot of rumours of different names but we won't know exactly for sure until the 26th."
The August 1 deadline for residents to remove their belongings is now irrelevant according to Beadreault. She said she's heard talks that the new owner has plans to keep the trailer park operational.
She said she feels relieved to know she will still have a home by August 1, but there's still some fear as those who remain in North Bay don't know what to expect.
In a letter distributed to trailer park residents, WestCan Properties said the new owner was aware residents want to stay in their homes and the new owner will be working with local government figures to find a solution to the sewage lagoon situation.
Calls for protections for trailer park residents
In British Columbia, the provincial government introduced legislation to protect people who live in mobile homes should landlords decide to shut down their business or force residents out.
In Saskatchewan, the ministry of justice previously told CBC News that landlords aren't required to compensate residents in those situations.
Beaudrault said she wants to see the same kind of protections explored by the government here that exist in B.C. and has sent letters to government officials to see if that change can be made.
"I'm hoping that [the government] is going to think things through and change legislation a little bit because there's no protection if an owner wants to demolish a trailer court, there's no protection for us," Beaudrault said.
