Prince Albert senior assaulted by stranger, family calls for change

By Nigel Maxwell

An 89-year-old man is in hospital with a serious head injury after coming to the aid of a staff member at a Prince Albert seniors living complex.

Curtis Klarenbach, the son of the victim, told paNOW a woman entered Northcote Manor on Monday evening and began going through the drawers in the kitchen area.

“One of the ladies told her, ‘Stop doing that, that’s not your stuff,’ and (the intruder) grabbed a knife and went after this older lady,” he said.

Seeing the elderly resident in distress, Klarenbach’s father, a retired correctional officer, did his best to help. He was pushed backward and hit his head, resulting in a small skull fracture and brain bleeds. He was unconscious for a couple of minutes.

“I’d like to have 60 seconds with the person who did that to the biggest hero of my life,” Klarenbach said. “Now we are relying on an 89-year-old man to protect us. Like, is that really what we are coming to now?”

Police arrived soon after and the woman was located and arrested nearby. April Ross, 40, appeared Tuesday morning at Prince Albert Provincial Court, and was remanded to Wednesday morning.

She’s been charged with aggravated assault and uttering threats.

Klarenbach’s wife, Sandra, thanked the paramedics and police officers who attended, as well as the Prince Albert Fire Department who came to close a control panel that had been pried open.

“This is not an isolated incident. The seniors living in their complex deal with situations on a frequent basis which leaves them vulnerable. This must change and you can bet we will work to see some changes made so the residents are free of the unnecessary stress of social issues impacting their safety,” she said.

Another resident who reached out to paNOW but asked to remain anonymous said she is moving to Melfort to get away from the issues she said have been happening daily at Northcote Manor.

In addition to cameras not working, she said people from the street are urinating in the lobby and using needles. She explained residents watch helplessly and have complained, but there’s been no answer from management.

The building is managed by Prince Albert Housing, which is under the Ministry of Social Services. The ministry declined to comment at this time.

In a statement, Roger Parenteau — the executive director of housing operations for the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation — said it will be increasing security in the Prince Albert facility.

“The Prince Albert Housing Authority is also taking a number of immediate measures to improve security, which include contracting security services to provide additional support to tenants and staff,” he said.

The housing authority will work with police to address the problem and tenants are being encourage to attend an upcoming meeting on safety.

“We also encourage tenants to attend the upcoming meeting Prince Albert Housing Authority staff are arranging to share important safety information, including details on how they should report emergent and other critical safety concerns to keep themselves and their neighbours safe,” Parenteau said.