Province to cover housing, food for displaced Birchwood Terrace residents

Birchwood Terrace located at 2440 Portage Avenue is pictured on May 10, 2024. The building is severely deteriorating in various locations, and residents were evacuated. (Joseph Bernacki/CTV News Winnipeg)

The provincial government says it will provide housing and meals for the 250 residents evacuated from a St. James apartment complex earlier this month.

Kirkfield Park MLA Logan Oxenham, who represents the residents, says he visited with the former Birchwood Terrace tenants who were evacuated over concerns the building could collapse.

The Canadian Red Cross was providing room and board, but that support is set to expire on June 1.

Oxenham says the province will now step in to cover the costs.

“We will support families through this difficult time and help them as they find permanent homes. Let me be clear - no one from Birchwood Terrace will end up on the streets on June 1,” he said Thursday in the legislative chamber.

"Our government will ensure that there is no interruption of services."

The city ordered the Portage Avenue complex be evacuated after a third-party engineering inspection of the 171-suite building found severe deterioration of its structure in several locations.

Many residents had to leave most of their belongings behind, and have since been living in hotels.

Earlier this week, CTV News Winnipeg asked property owner Ladco Company Limited for any updates on the building and whether residents will be able to retrieve the rest of their belongings, but the company did not respond.

- With files from CTV’s Jeff Keele and Kayla Rosen