Family of Sask. landlord shot after contentious eviction says system failed him

Jeffery Tram · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 10, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

A Prince Albert, Sask., landlord is recovering successful infirmary aft a shooting his household believes stemmed from a contentious eviction.

Jim Primeau was changeable successful the backmost gait of his rental spot connected June 4, the time an evicted tenant cleared her belongings from the property. 

The 57-year-old survived the shooting and is recovering, but suffered a spinal cord wounded and had to beryllium placed successful a medically induced coma for 4 days.

"This changed each of our lives: Jimmy's drastically, but besides ours, his 4 sisters, who volition present beryllium his caregivers for life," Primeau's sister, Peggy Epp said. 

"We emotion our member and we're gonna bash everything we tin to assistance him recover."

Epp is calling for changes to the province's eviction process aft what she describes arsenic a ineligible but unsafe eviction.

"He followed the law, did what helium was told, and the extremity effect is he's changeable successful the throat," Epp said.

Prince Albert constabulary person not confirmed a transportation betwixt the eviction and Primeau being shot.

According to Epp, a pistillate approached Primeau successful March looking to unrecorded successful 1 of his suites, but said she could not spend to wage the afloat rent. Primeau accepted fractional a month's rent and let her determination in, Epp said.

"He was a bully feline conscionable trying to assistance this woman."

Epp said the concern spiralled, with the tenant refusing to wage the rent for the adjacent 3 months.

She said her member followed the legal eviction process, getting a tribunal bid from the Office of Residential Tenancies.

The announcement was served to the tenant and she was allowed to travel connected June 4 to cod her belongings.

No arrests made

"Jim phoned and said, 'She conscionable threatened my life,'" Epp said.

Epp said a antheral showed up astatine the location soon aft that and changeable Primeau.

"Jim said, 'I didn't get to accidental anything. He pointed that weapon astatine maine and changeable me,'" Epp said.

A constabulary quality merchandise says officers responded to a report of a shooting and recovered a antheral with gunshot wounds.

"The fishy and the unfortunate are believed to beryllium known to each other," the merchandise said.

Police said in a abstracted connection that they'd been called to the spot earlier successful the time astir a disturbance.

No arrests person been made successful the case.

'Whole strategy needs an overhaul'

Epp said the process failed her brother and could neglect others, too.

"The full strategy needs an overhaul," she said.

Landon Field, CEO of Rental Housing Saskatchewan, said stories similar Primeau's are becoming progressively common.

"I perceive stories anecdotally from radical moving connected the beforehand lines who look threats of convulsive harassment — whether that's a weapon being pulled connected you oregon threats sent to you by text," Field said.

"Violence is ne'er acceptable. Whether you're a renter, spot manager, landlord — cipher should look that erstwhile doing their job."

Field said Primeau did everything right.

"It's precise frustrating to work a communicative similar this, due to the fact that they did travel the ineligible process and it inactive resulted successful tragedy."

Field said the strategy tin beryllium dilatory and costly, particularly for tiny landlords. He said his enactment is looking astatine imaginable changes, including reducing the 15-day nonpayment period.

"We are presently reviewing the Residential Tenancies Act and volition beryllium putting guardant a mates of projected amendments successful the adjacent mates of weeks," helium said.

Field's enactment is besides pushing for much acquisition for landlords and much accountability.

"A well-educated and nonrecreational landlord leads to nonrecreational and palmy tenancies," helium said. "That benefits renters close crossed the province."

'We're compassionate people'

Epp said she is hoping to conscionable with different landlords successful Prince Albert successful the coming weeks to assistance advocator for change.

Despite the trauma, she said her brother's kindness — and her ain — won't spell away.

"I'm ever giving radical a fewer dollars. I'm ever buying meals. I manus retired gloves successful the wintertime," she said. 

"We're compassionate people, but this makes maine precise angry."

Primeau's sisters person organized a GoFundMe campaign to enactment his recovery.