Residents of Cape Breton seniors complex worried after break-ins, vandalism

At the Skye Way Seniors Complex just outside of Sydney in Westmount, N.S., a series of recent break-ins has residents feeling uneasy.

"Everybody is scared in this building,” said Nancy Andrew, who has been living in the apartment building for six years.

Andrew says damage has been done too, including the facility's fire extinguishers being emptied inside the building.

She adds that things escalated further just over the weekend.

"One of our tenants got punched on Sunday night,” Andrew said.

"(And it’s) not just vandalism but some destruction as well, and it's a concern because it's been going on for a while,” added Cape Breton Regional Municipality Councillor Steve Gillespie, who represents the area.

Gillespie said trying to put a stop to what has been happening hasn't been easy.

"We have the police on it, and they do regular patrols in the area,” he said.

“We also contacted the MLA for the area (Progressive Conservative Fred Tilley) to try to get some security for the facility, because it's a provincial housing facility and we're also trying to educate the area residents."

Cape Breton Regional Police confirmed to CTV Atlantic on Tuesday that they have responded to several complaints about unwanted youth in and around the building.

A spokesperson for the police force added they have assigned extra presence to the area to try and identify the youth, and prevent further problems.

"You're scared to go anywhere at night time,” Andrew said.

“Not even night time, because they come in the day too."

CTV Atlantic reached out to the Nova Scotia Provincial Housing Agency for comment via email, but did not get a response by broadcast deadline.

Andrew said if things don’t change, she will consider leaving the facility.

"I'm moving,” Andrew said. “This is just crazy. It's nuts. I'm scared someone is going to get really hurt."

Gillespie is also asking people who live near the building to contact police if they see anything that seems suspicious.

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