Power has now been cut off at a Vernon trailer park whose owner was unable to pay for repairs to its dangerous electrical system, leaving the remaining residents in the dark — both literally and regarding the future of their home investments.
The Crown Villa manufactured home park on Okanagan Avenue was warned by Technical Safety BC (TSBC) multiple times since 2021 that its power would be shut off April 10 if essential repairs weren’t made to the electrical system, which was creating a significant risk of fire or electrocution resulting in injury or death, according to the safety regulator.
Along with the warnings and subsequent power shut-off came a fine of $36,000 against park owner Carolyn Goldstone.
“This critical safety enforcement action comes as a direct result of ongoing and severe electrical hazards that the property owner has repeatedly failed to address, despite multiple warnings and legal orders,” TSBC said in a media release Friday.
TSBC operations vice-president Kate Parker confirmed to The Morning Star that power was shut off at 1:10 p.m. Friday.
“Our hearts go out to the residents of Crown Villa,” TSBC said in its statement. “We understand the profound stress and hardship this situation is causing, and we want to assure the community that this action was not taken lightly.”
The regulator said it first identified critical electrical hazards at the park in April 2021.
“Since then, we have issued multiple legal orders, consistently directing the owner to correct these serious hazards,” TSBC said. “Despite ample opportunity and clear deadlines, the owner has consistently failed to make the required repairs, resulting in further deterioration of the electrical equipment posing greater safety risks.”
A safety order was issued on Dec. 16, 2025, legally mandating the correction of the electrical issues affecting the park’s 11 homes by April 10. TSBC also gave the owner deadlines for hiring a licensed electrical contractor and obtaining permits.
Goldstone did not meet any of the deadlines, resulting in the maximum $36,000 penalty. The owner previously told The Morning Star she simply can’t afford the repairs, which she estimated to cost around $200,000 — to say nothing of the penalties on top of that.
She had appealed to the government, requesting the province step in and pay for the repairs on the basis that she was providing affordable housing to the Crown Villa residents and homeowners, of which she herself is one.
As it turns out, Goldstone’s provision of affordable housing is what led to the power-shut off, according to the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB).
Goldstone admitted she hasn’t raised pad rent at the park in the 37 years since she took over as its owner. Pad rents remain under $300 there to this day. The RTB said in a penalty notice that raising the rents incrementally would have provided Goldstone with a contingency fund with which to make the repairs.
While Goldstone said she has been in talks to have a potential business partner take over 50 per cent equity in the park and have it fixed, TSBC said Friday she has taken no steps to demonstrate that any of the required actions have been taken.
“Power to the site will remain disconnected until a licensed electrical contractor completes all required repairs, obtains the necessary permits, and Technical Safety BC verifies the electrical system’s safety,” TSBC said.
Parker added the regulator could turn power back on “extremely quickly” once this has been done.
However, it’s far less clear how long the actual repairs could take. Parker said indoor electrical equipment had previously been installed outdoors at the park in a “deteriorated, non-waterproof enclosure,” and had been exposed to heat, cold storms and rodents.
“When we last examined it in December, there was extensive corrosion and poor grounding, which creates serious risk for shock, fire, obviously injury or even death,” Parker said. “Until a certified electrical contractor goes and takes a look and pulls it apart to understand what needs to be repaired, I can’t speak to (how long the repairs will take).”
This puts the residents and homeowners in the park on uncertain ground. Some of them are choosing to stay in the park, despite its lack of power and a resulting lack of pumped water, and will be using backup generators and bottled water and hoping for the best, according to Michelle Hallas, a mother who lives at Crown Villa.
Hallas has decided she and her kids can’t stay, and was scrambling last month to find affordable housing elsewhere in anticipation of the power shut-off while worrying that her home would have to be abandoned.
A GoFundMe online fundraiser was launched to raise funds for the repairs. It has generated about $1,500 so far.
Charmaine Wadsworth, another resident with ties to the park, told The Morning Star they had raised roughly $12,000 from the residents at Crown Villa toward making the repairs themselves, though TSBC has issued a cautionary word against going it alone.
“In British Columbia, property owners are legally responsible for maintaining a safe site and ensuring all electrical hazards are corrected,” the regulator said.
Parker added that she is aware that Goldstone “has told tenants that they may proceed with the repairs, but that she’s not involved— so I can’t speak to the displacement or support of the tenants being legally able to do that from Technical Safety BC’s perspective.”
What matters most is that a licensed electrical contractor signs off on the repairs.
“From our perspective, that’s what’s important from the broader perspective,” Parker said.
“We can appreciate what a difficult position (the residents) have been put in. These are innocent folks who have rented from a mobile home park, expecting that the services there are safe,” she added.