She called 911 during a break-in scare, but says the operator left her feeling helpless
CBC
At first, Maria Sabourin wasn't sure what to do when someone started yelling and banging on her apartment door one night in late April.
The 55-year-old tenant, who has mobility issues, said a lot happens at her highrise building in Lowertown. The building belongs to Ottawa Community Housing (OCH), which provides subsidized rental units for people with low income.
Then the person started kicking the door, picking at the lock and trying to force their way in.
Sabourin said that's when she became "terrified."
"Everything came through my mind, you know? All the horrible things that can happen to a woman," she said.
But it was the six-minute call she made to 911 — during which Sabourin said she was repeatedly interrupted, misunderstood and treated with disrespect by the operator because of her status both as an OCH tenant and a Cuban immigrant with an accent — that left her "emotionally destroyed."
CBC has obtained the operator's