In the morning hours of April 7, 2025, a vehicle ran into a house in Moosomin. Five months later, the owners are still in a battle with SGI. They say when it rains, it pours, and a senior couple from Wolseley Sask., was caught in a storm. “The RCMP officer said there were injuries but didn’t indicate that the driver had passed away. They said there was substantial damage to our house,” Marylynn Arkinstall told CTV News about the fateful morning. She and her husband originally purchased the property, located on Moosomin’s Main Street, for their adult children. Later, they rented it out. The house was built in 1835 for a doctor; it has a solid brick exterior. The inside of the house was renovated in the recent years. “When we bought it, it was still in early 50’s condition,” she explained. “It has been completely redone, the inside completely redone, all the wiring, all the plumbing, new floors, doors, and windows.” This was the state of the house in April, when a car crashed into its side. Today, there is a dent on the exterior wall, bricks appear cracked, and the chip rock grout is knocked out. On the inside, dry wall was removed to expose broken beams. A thin crack can be seen running alongside the doorframe, and some baseboards are missing. Saskatchewan RCMP told CTV News that “the driver was transferred to Moosomin Hospital where they were pronounced deceased. Investigation determined the driver experienced a medical emergency.” Arkintstall called the event a disaster. “I know it was much worse for the people that lost their loved one, but it’s been a disaster for us too,” she added. Since the accident, she and her husband need to travel between their home in Wolseley and the damaged property in Moosomin every few days. The trip takes over an hour each direction. Arkinstall explained that it’s due to their insurance policy with SGI. “My grandson got married in Calgary on the 15th of August,” Arkinstall added. “I had to go alone because my husband had to be here to check on this house.” Other than the damage to the property, they also lost revenue from rent. The property was occupied by a tenant, who left the house only 20 minutes before the collision happened. “The young lady [one of the tenants] was nine months pregnant,” Arkinstall said. “She had her baby two days after the house was hit.” Due to the state of the house, the tenants moved out. The Arkinstalls have been dealing with their insurance claim since April to no avail. She said that SGI passed the case between their vehicle and home insurance departments. “The vehicle insurance handed it over to the house insurance because they said they didn’t know about houses. […] The house insurance, of course, was going to be on the vehicle insurance,” Arkinstall said. She also said that SGI commissioned, then subsequently fired an inspector and left them without further assistance. According to a document seen by CTV News, SGI offered the couple approximately $3,800 to cover their repairs. They received no compensation for their loss of revenue. In a response to CTV News, SGI Canada said it cannot speak to the details of specific claims, but if a home is damaged in a vehicle collision, the property owner can choose to file a claim through their home insurance and may also seek compensation from the auto insurance of the person responsible. The latter pays based on the current market value of the damaged property at the time of the loss. The insurance agency added that if the home is uninhabitable or unsafe, SGI may also consider lost rental income as part of a liability or property claim if supported with documentation. At this point, the Arkinstalls are just hoping repairs can start soon, so they can move on. “We’re not really seeking any money. We’d like the house to be repaired.”
