NANAIMO — While BC Housing acknowledges a brazen early morning break-in and theft at a north Nanaimo supportive housing complex, unanswered questions remain.
Ricky John Randell, 55, a former Uplands Walk tenant, was recently handed a six-month jail sentence following a trio of north Nanaimo break-ins, including two at the Uplands Dr. facility late last year.
Most notably, an agreed statement of facts heard Randell broke through the front door of Uplands Walk while armed with a crowbar last Nov. 25 around 3:30 a.m.
Randell then entered the manager’s office and stole a safe containing credit and gift cards, amounting to about $2,000 in losses.
The stolen cards were never recovered.
Nanaimo RCMP wasn’t alerted by Uplands Walk staff until about 9:30 a.m., court was told.
Operated by Pacifica Housing, on contract by BC Housing, the Crown corporation issued a statement to NanaimoNewsNOW, noting it takes concerns related to criminal incidents in its buildings very seriously.
“When significant incidents occur, BC Housing and the service provider review the circumstances to ensure appropriate action is taken and to identify any opportunity to strengthen safety and security measures.”
The statement didn’t expand on what actions, if any, were taken in response to the incident to improve security.
Also unknown is whether personal information was compromised, or if any tenants suffered financial losses due to Randell stealing credit cards.
BC Housing stated it can’t discuss specifics of the incident.
“We can confirm that Uplands Walk has a number of security measures in place including 24/7 staffing with two or more employees on site, a single main point of entry, and multiple security cameras.”
Pacifica Housing did not respond to previous requests for comment from NanaimoNewsNOW.
In addition to the Nov. 25 incident, Randell returned to Uplands Walk late on the evening of Dec. 6, 2025, where he used a screwdriver to pry open an exterior door.
Security footage suggested Randell did not gain entry and nothing was stolen, however, the unsecured door was not discovered until the morning of Dec. 8, court was told.
According to Pacifica Housing, Uplands Walk houses 34 units for people 45-years-old and up who have faced homelessness due to mental health and/or substance use disorders.
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