An Ottawa family says someone broke into their Westboro home while they were sleeping, stealing more than $20,000 worth of property. And when they called 9-1-1, police didn’t show up. Katie, who asked CTV News not to use her last name, says the break-in happened overnight on Aug. 29 while she and her partner were asleep upstairs. “It’s one thing if they come into your shed or your car, it still feels extremely violating,” she said. “But to come into your house when you’re doing one of the most vulnerable things you can do, sleeping, it is terrifying.” Katie says the stolen property included a $13,000 bike, bags, electronics and other personal items. Around 7:30 a.m., she says they called police, not knowing if the intruder was still there, but no one came. “Having that face of someone come to your house and you know, ‘we’re here to help,’ that wasn’t there, and so I felt very helpless,” said Katie. She says 11 hours later, police called back saying no one was available to come take a report. Instead, they took a statement by phone and only then sent forensic investigators. “I think if it was deemed an emergency and they showed up, you know, we had leads right away that they could have dealt with and they didn’t,” said Katie. In the meantime, the family started following its own leads, tracing a stolen credit card to a nearby gas station. Later, Katie says she happened to spot some of her stolen items, leading her to Salus supportive housing on Scott Street, where she says police recovered some of her property. “There were two of my bags, but they’re damaged to the point I can’t use them,” she said. “They’re empty.” It’s not clear if the suspect is connected to Salus in anyway, but its president and CEO sent an email to Katie saying, “We are aware that Ottawa police attended one of our properties in connection with their investigation and recovered some of your belongings. We take what you have shared and the concerns you have raised about our property, very seriously.” In a statement to CTV News the company says, “Ottawa Salus is aware of the investigation and is cooperating fully with Ottawa police. We will continue to provide any information or assistance we appropriately can as they investigate. We understand how distressing an incident like this is for the family involved, and we take concerns related to our properties and the surrounding community seriously. At our Scott Street property, staff are available around the clock to respond to residents’ health and support needs. Salus provides supportive housing; it is not a secure or custodial setting. When an alleged crime occurs in the community, investigating what happened and determining responsibility is the role of police. To protect the privacy of the people we support, we cannot confirm or discuss whether any particular individual is a Salus client.” Katie says the ordeal has left her family feeling unsafe. “We don’t feel safe for our kids to play in the backyard alone,” she said. “There needs to be presence, there needs to be accountability, and I don’t think there has been accountability so far.” In a statement police say, “At this time, we can share that the incident is being investigated and some of the property has been recovered and returned to the complainant. We will share any additional information as it becomes available and can be released.”
