'We are concerned': Vacant government owned housing units being targeted by vandals
A government owned housing unit in Regina was recently trashed after thieves tore through the walls to steal the copper pipes, resulting in $20,000 in damage.
The Saskatchewan Housing Authority manages 3,000 units in Regina and said one or two government housing units are being broken into every week.
“We are concerned about it. What we are doing right now in order to try and manage that is we hire security to do inspections,” said Louise Michaud, president of the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation.
Last November, someone compromised a live gas pipeline at a government housing complex in North Central Regina. The ensuing explosion destroyed the property along with the privately owned apartment building next door.
“We don’t know if that means they were cut but we know that they were damaged and we know that there was criminal activity,” Michaud said.
Vacant units are being targeted primarily. The government budgeted $2.3 million last year to cover the cost of vandalism and wear and tear. It doesn’t know if break in alarms would help.
“You know we also have to consider the cost of doing that versus the cost of repairs but it’s certainly something that we’re considering,” Michaud said.
The government believes that the best deterrent to break and enters is housing units that are fully occupied. It hopes to attract more tenants to curb the damage losses and to improve its rental income bottom line.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
2 children dead, 6 injured after city bus crashes into daycare in Montreal suburb Laval, driver arrested
Two children are dead and six others are injured after a Laval city bus crashed into a daycare Wednesday morning. The driver of the bus, a 51-year-old man, has been arrested and faces charges of homicide and dangerous driving, police say.

How much Canadians have fallen behind amid high inflation and who's hurting the most
Inflation has eroded purchasing power for many Canadians, but the experience with rapidly rising prices has been far from uniform.
Awkward moment or conscious message? Political experts weigh in on Danielle Smith-Justin Trudeau handshake
An 'awkward' attempt at a handshake between Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and the prime minister Tuesday is another example of leaders from the western province hesitating before shaking Justin Trudeau's hand, say political experts.
China says it was smeared in Biden State of the Union speech
China says it was smeared in U.S. President Joe Biden's State of the Union address that repeatedly mentioned competition between the two countries.
Turkiye, Syria quake death toll surpasses 11,000
With the hope of finding survivors fading, stretched rescue teams in Turkiye and Syria searched Wednesday for signs of life in the rubble of thousands of buildings toppled by a catastrophic earthquake. The confirmed death toll from the world's deadliest quake in more than a decade passed 11,000.
'Crypto king' associate operated parallel Ponzi scheme while living lavish lifestyle, court documents allege
An associate of Ontario’s self-described “crypto king” was operating his own fraud scam parallel to the multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme, court documents allege.
opinion | Before you do your taxes, take note of these tax credits and deductions you may not have known about
Many Canadians are experiencing strains caused by the increased cost of living and inflation. In his exclusive column for CTVNews.ca, contributor Christopher Liew shares some of the top credits and deductions that you may be able to claim on your income tax return to help you save money.
opinion | Tom Mulcair: This is why the federal health-care proposal is so disappointing
Justin Trudeau has thrown in the towel in the fight to maintain the federal role as gatekeeper of a public, universal, accessible and fair health-care system in Canada, writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in an exclusive column for CTVNews.ca. 'That could have tragic consequences for folks on the lower rungs of the social and economic ladder.'
A Conservative government would uphold federal-provincial health-care funding deals: Poilievre
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says that if he becomes prime minister he would uphold the 10-year deals Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is looking to ink with provinces and territories that would inject $46.2 billion in new funding into Canada's strained health-care systems.