'A crisis situation': Housing issues prevalent in North Central Regina
North Central has entered a crisis situation according to Regina’s mayor. Boarded up and abandoned residential units are on the rise as housing issues are affecting more and more people.
Demolition crews are removing the last of the rubble from the site of an explosion that rocked the neighborhood on Nov. 14.
The blast levelled a vacant government housing complex and damaged a neighbouring apartment building beyond repair.
“We have allowed a neighbourhood to basically enter a crisis situation,” Mayor Sandra Masters said.
The city points to a growing number of homes being left unattended.
“There is also an extraordinary number of abandoned and boarded up properties. That’s on us. Building housing standards are on us to enforce.”
Masters says city action is coming in the New Year.
Action that could impact the Government of Saskatchewan, which owns 3,000 vacant houses across the province with 700 in Regina.
Minister of Social Services Gene Makowsky said he has toured some of the properties.
“If something has chronically not been used for a certain amount of time for whatever reason the building is secured,” he explained.
“So windows aren’t broken or people aren’t in there and doing things we might not want them to do.”
NDP MLA Meara Conway said she believes the government is not taking advantage of the resources at their disposal.
“I know that they’ve alluded to the fact that some of them have fallen into disrepair,” she told reporters following Question Period on Monday.
“I know for a fact there are many vacant units sitting in desirable neighborhoods in fine condition because I’ve seen them myself.”
Regina resident Larissa Sellers says she tried to rent a vacant government home but was rejected because of a past dispute with a private landlord over a sump pump failure.
“I didn’t pay the rent because I got into an argument with them over that,” she explained.
As a result of the dispute, she’s been blacklisted by other landlords, including Regina Housing.
According to Conway, this situation highlights serious issues with the current system.
“[There is] absolutely no reason why she wouldn’t be a good candidate for public housing,” she said.
“So that is a huge red flag to me. This is public housing … for some people this is their last resort.”
The Government of Saskatchewan has said it is reviewing its tenant qualification policies for possible changes that could help fill vacant suites.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumour mill. That's a tall order
Prince William and his wife Catherine have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home, The Sun newspaper reported -- the first footage of Kate since she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition two months ago.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.