People living in the Selkirk Mobile Home Park are facing an uncertain future after receiving letters to get out of the park by the end of the year.

Homeowners at the park said about 45 properties are being evicted.

“If they got a mortgage, how are they going to pay for it, how are they going to move their trailers, where are they going to move their trailers? We're lost. Mad lost,” said Fred Sabel, who has lived in the park for 34 years.

At the end of June, Sabel received a letter from a numbered company saying he had to pack up, take his trailer, and be off the property by the end of the year.

The numbered company is also requesting to rezone the land to ‘Residential Multiple Family Dwelling’.

“We have no idea who the owners are,” said Sabel. “We're in disbelief more than anything.”

Sabel said he can’t take his trailer with him because it has water damage, so he's looking for a new place to live.

“I really do love my place. It's just for me,” said one woman who is a senior and moved to the park two-and-a-half years ago.

She said she has no idea how she'll be able to sell her home, or where she'll end up come December.

The Red River Planning District looks after planning and development in Selkirk. It said Monday the specific type of housing the developer wants to build is still unclear, and could be apartments, duplexes, or row houses.

Homeowners Debbie Rose and Donna Carriere said park management told them they'd get years to move, not months.

“We know it's done, prolonging isn't going to make it any easier,” said Rose.

“There is no affordable housing in this town. If you want to rent a house, we have pets so we are looking at 1,800 bucks and up," said Carriere.

They said they're sad to see a great place for young families and retirees come to an end.

A vote to rezone the land could take place Wednesday July 19. If passed, a final vote will be required by the City of Selkirk.

‘AN EXPENSE WE CANNOT BEAR': PARK OWNER

The numbered company that owns the park told CTV News Wednesday there are a number of financial reasons behind the evictions and closure of the park.

The company said over this past winter, a break in the sewer created a serious blockage. Repairs were expected to cost up to half a million dollars, the company said.

“It’s an expense we cannot bear,” a company spokesperson said in a phone call with CTV News.

“Our intention was to close the park within three to five years. Our intention was to keep the park and develop the plan around it, not close for 10 years.”

In addition, the company said after purchasing the park 14 months ago, it discovered water costs at the park were higher than originally anticipated - $17,000 every three months.

The company said it was a difficult decision to close the park because it had been in operation between 40 and 50 years, and knows there are seniors well into their 80s living there.

“We are not heartless people. This didn’t come lightly,” the company said.

Park owners said homeowners must be gone by Dec. 31, but are considering allowing people extra time to move their trailers.