'People try to ignore it': Regina family blames homelessness for death of relative
A Regina family is blaming homelessness for the death of a loved one. The body of 41-year-old Del Bitternose was found in North Central two days after Christmas.
Bitternose’s relatives claim he was evicted from his apartment and died while seeking refuge in a camper.
Ivy Kennedy is mourning the death of her nephew. To her, he was like a son.
“He died, he froze to death,” she said, referring to Bitternose. “So homelessness is an issue in Regina and I don’t know why people try to ignore it.”
Bitternose’s body was found in a camper unit on the 700 Block of Garnet Street on Dec. 27.
He had taken shelter there after being evicted from an apartment for non-payment of rent.
“In the winter months there should be no need to live on the streets in Regina,” Kennedy said.
The family claimed Bitternose had received payment from Social Services to cover rent but he failed to forward the money to his landlord. It’s the result of changes to the Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS) program.
“They give the money to the client now. They don’t give the cheques out to the landlord anymore,” Kennedy explained.
“I think that’s still an issue because my nephew would be still alive today.”
The Regina Anti-Poverty Ministry is not aware of the circumstances surrounding Bitternose's death but the organization has repeatedly raised concerns about changes to the SIS program.
“Many of the people that we work with are among the best budgeters that I know of. They’re better budgeters than I am. So I don’t want to take that away from everybody,” Peter Gilmer, a spokesperson for the ministry told CTV News.
“But there certainly are circumstances where it makes sense to have that direct payment.”
Social Services will make rent payments directly to landlords if a problem is identified. In the case of Del Bitternose, it came too late.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.