REGINA - Plenty of questions swirled at the legislature over a Saskatchewan Housing Corporation residential property that exploded on the weekend in Regina.
The explosion, which happened shortly before 11 a.m. on Sunday morning, Nov. 13, levelled the four-unit complex at Retallack Street and 6th Ave. in north central Regina. The explosion was heard for miles and caused damage to neighbouring properties, including one next door that will be demolished.
Regina Fire and Protective Services have confirmed the building belonged to Regina Housing Authority. They later issued a statement in which they have determined the cause of the explosion was related to natural gas.
In speaking to reporters in the legislature, Minister of Social Services Gene Makowsky said it was his understanding the home was a vacant building with no current tenants and it has been that way for "quite some time -- over a year."
In the case of this building, "the windows are covered and the entrances are locked, etcetera." Makowsky said they are inspected regularly, either by the local Housing Authority, or by third-party security hired to do that work. He adds there were inspections recently, and no issues with the property reported.
Makowsky said it is his information that properties are inspected several times a week. "As a result of this the local Housing Authority is making sure all properties that aren't rented out right now are in that secure mode."
Regina Fire had confirmed earlier in the day that the natural gas had been on in the building. Makowsky told reporters that the power and heat are kept on in order that "there be no frozen pipes, which could lead to other things," he said. There are other scenarios where everything is completely off, Makowsky said, but in this case there was still power and heat.
Makowsky said it was his understanding the entrance was secure. He added that generally it is an outside inspection that is done, "unless the building envelope is somehow compromised."
He did acknowledge the need to reduce the number of vacant Sask Housing units. "Many of the folks that are homeless, they have other issues they are dealing with in general. We have been working very hard with third party organizations to be able to fill those Sask Housing units, to be able to have those wraparound supports, and help them into getting into that initial housing and then hopefully moving on to more independent living from there."
The house explosion happened in the riding of Regina Elphinstone-Centre MLA Meara Conway. She expressed her concerns about vacant properties in general, pointing to 3,000 units sitting vacant across the province.
"There are hundreds of buildings like this that are boarded up that are vacant across Regina and across the province and we know they pose a risk," Conway said. "I think for that reason alone the Sask Party government has to take action on these vacant units, they pose a risk."
She also expressed concerns about the inspection process. "A drive by is not an inspection, what an inspection process would be," said Conway. "That's not a sufficient inspection process is driving the vehicle by the unit. You can't assess a lot by just peering out your car window."
Conway called it a result of "years and years of Sask Party neglect... this is going to take some work from the Sask Party to update these units so that they're livable, to obviously address the criteria so that they are being accessed by people who need them the most."
