FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 24, 2026
Statement from Matt MacFarlane: Government must act now to protect families at Evergreen Village
Charlottetown, PE – Two years ago when 57 families at Evergreen Village in Summerside were served eviction notices by their landlord, the then-Minister of Housing said the government would “100 percent be on board” with purchasing the land at the mobile home park to protect residents from being displaced and potentially becoming unhoused.
Since then, these families have lived with the uncertainty of losing their homes. The government has repeatedly said that, despite its efforts, it has been unable to reach a fair agreement with the landlord to purchase the property.
When I asked the current Minister of Housing for an update on the situation in May, he said, “We can’t go out and buy and overpay for a piece of land because the landlord is putting leverage on its residents.” That very reason is why I also asked the Minister to consider expropriating the land.
These are 57 families in our community at risk of losing their homes. Government has publicly acknowledged that it has been unable to find a reasonable solution with the landlord. And now, residents are taking their fight to IRAC, in hopes of delaying the eviction date of January 24, 2027. But that won’t bring a solution – only a short delay.
This has gone on long enough. At this point, government needs to act.
When I raised the idea of expropriation in the Legislature, the Minister of Housing told me: “As the member knows, we can’t expropriate this land. It wouldn’t be for infrastructure needs for the greater of the province.”
I have since looked at the legislation governing the PEI Housing Corporation. The PEI Housing Corporation Act states in Subsection 7(2)(n) “subject to the approval of the Lieutenant Governor in Council, without the consent of the owner, enter upon, take and expropriate any land which the Corporation considers necessary for the purpose of any of its undertakings or for a purpose relative to the use, construction, maintenance or repair of any of its undertakings and in such cases the Expropriation Act.”
The PEI Housing Corporation exists to ensure Islanders have access to safe, affordable and adequate housing. The Minister and his department should be well aware of this power and, in my opinion, this is a reasonable situation in which to use this power.
This is not about giving a landlord whatever price they demand. It is about determining a fair value for the property and using the tools available to government to protect 57 families from losing their homes.
Two years of negotiations have not produced a solution. The residents are now having to fight through the regulatory process, pay legal fees, all while living with the constant possibility of losing their homes.
We cannot keep asking these families to wait. Government has options at its disposal to help these Islanders. It is time to use them. The residents of Evergreen Village need more than promises and empty words, they need government to act.
Matt MacFarlane
MLA Borden-Kinkora
Leader of the Green Party of PEI
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