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Standing with her husband, wearing a #justiceforHenryLosco shirt, Henry’s mother Marina Hills expressed her gratitude to the Sask. NDP and the Sask. Party government.
Henry Losco died in December of carbon monoxide poisoning in a Regina apartment. Several units in the building had carbon monoxide present, and Henry’s father, Sergio Losco, had to be hospitalized. Last month, the fire department confirmed a faulty boiler in the building was to blame.
Since then, the family has been pushing for regulations to change and for there to be tighter rules around carbon monoxide detectors. They were working with the Opposition NDP on a new bill, dubbed “Henry’s Law”.
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“We don’t think any other children in this province should die, no more, it’s got to stop — my son should be the last one,” said Marina at the legislative building on Monday.
The NDP had intended to introduce the bill on Monday, but the government reached out to say it would be willing to work with the NDP and the family to make the necessary changes through regulation instead.
“It’s really nice to see that they’re working together. We were touched, and this is a positive step forward for all of us,” said Marina, saying she was initially surprised at the government’s move.
Government Relations Minister Eric Schmalz said the government wants to everything it can to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.
“This is not a partisan issue, this is something that we can come together on and agree on,” said Schmalz.
Government Relations Minister Eric Schmalz. (CJME files)
He said the government has been reviewing the amendments to ensure augmented carbon monoxide detection in multi-unit dwellings.
The NDP’s government relations critic is Erika Ritchie and she had been the one working with the Losco family. She said the biggest concern that would have been addressed in the bill was the placement of carbon monoxide detectors.
She said there are also questions around governance and oversight, but an ongoing investigation is delving into those questions.
On Monday, Schmalz wouldn’t detail the regulatory changes that will be made, preferring to wait until an official announcement scheduled for Tuesday.
Marina and her family were set on being at that announcement.
“We are Henry’s voice now, and Henry speaks through us, and we’re going to finish this. We are going to see this through completely,” she said.
Schmalz said Saskatchewan will lead the country with the changes, and he’s planning to spread them out past provincial borders as well.
“I’ve committed to Marina and Sergio that I will take this to my federal, provincial and territorial meetings this summer and discuss it with my colleagues across the country to ensure that they’re aware of what we’re doing in Saskatchewan, and to tell the story of Henry,” said the minister.
