Sask. NDP demands gov’t audit report after 11-year-old dies from carbon monoxide poisoning

The Sask. NDP want a formal probe after 11-year-old Henry Losco died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Sierra D’Souza Butts reports.

The Saskatchewan NDP has requested the Provincial Auditor of Saskatchewan to investigate the circumstances surrounding a deadly carbon monoxide leak in a Regina apartment building just before Christmas.

Eleven-year-old Henry Losco passed away following a carbon monoxide leak in his family’s apartment building, located at the 1800 block of Albert Street.

During the incident, Henry’s parents said a carbon monoxide alarm did not go off.

In a letter written to the provincial government, NDP MLA Erika Ritchie said the “tragic loss was preventable.”

“By calling for a review by the provincial auditor, they have the resources and the mandate to look very holistically and systematically at all those potential lines of failure to understand what went wrong and make recommendations about, what needs to be fixed so that going forward, something like this will never happen again,” Ritchie told CTV News.

The cause of the leak was found to be a piece of service equipment that was being repaired at the time, according to Regina Fire and Protective Services (RFPS) who has launched an ongoing investigation.

SaskEnergy and the City of Regina Building Department is also participating in the investigation.

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In a statement to CTV News, the Government of Saskatchewan offered its condolences to the family and confirmed the Technical Safety Authority of Saskatchewan (TSASK) is also investigating the matter.

“It is a tragedy that a single life was lost to carbon monoxide poisoning and our condolences go the to surviving family at this time. TSASK is actively participating in the investigation into this incident along with a number of other agencies, led by Regina Fire Services,” read the statement.

“As we are not the lead, we are unable to comment on the status of that investigation. Should the investigation determine there are steps TSASK can take to improve safety in the province, we will implement those actions.”

The province added that building owners, including landlords, are responsible for compliance with all regulations, codes and standards that apply to each technology.

As the Losco family continues to mourn the loss of their son, Ritchie said she hopes no other family has to endure a similar tragedy.

“It does really send a chill up my spine to think that for people who rent and have short, long term leases in this facility that their safety was put at risk. I’m sure it must be very unsettling for all the people in that building,” Ritchie said.

“[For] renters, we want to ensure that the owners, the building operators, those overseeing both maintenance workers…everyone is accountable and doing their job to ensure that they’re being protected from something as high risk as a leak from a mechanical system with carbon monoxide involved.”

TSASK is a designated organization for licensing gas-fitters and power engineers and the permitting and inspection of gas and boiler installations, along with the commissioning of new boilers.

CTV News reached out to RFPS but did not hear back as of Tuesday evening.