'There were a lot of angry tenants': Winnipeg high-rise tenants forced to go weeks without hot water
Tenants of a Winnipeg high-rise building say they went weeks without hot water.
The issue began in September, when water for the entire building, located on Webb Place, was shut off without notice due to an issue with a pipe. The tenants were told it was not a City of Winnipeg issue, and the building would have to deal with it.
A few days later, the tenants from the first to 15th floors got cold running water, but those on floors 16 to 21 did not, as the temporary pump that was brought in did not have enough pressure to make it to the top of building.
“The tenants on 16 and up had nothing,” said Barbara Bell with the Tenant Association.
It took two weeks before hot water was returned to the entire building and for those on floors 16 to 21 to get any running water at all.
“For the first five days, you had to haul water from the next building,” Bell said, noting that people were hauling buckets of water to flush their toilets and wash their dishes.
She said to help with the situation, the building’s management brought in portable washrooms and offered showers in empty suites at the building next door.
“I have family in the city, I could have a shower, go somewhere else and have a shower where I felt safe,” she said.
“I don’t know what my neighbours did. I don’t know what those people on [floors] 16 to 21 did. I can’t even imagine being two weeks without hot and cold running water.”
Bell said it would be nice to get an apology from the building’s management company.
“There were a lot of angry tenants,” she said.
“There were a lot of disgruntled tenants. I mean, there’s a lot of resentment towards the management staff that did nothing for us.”
The company that manages the building later offered $100 in compensation.
“There was no discussion. There was no negotiation,” Bell said.
She said she does feel this is adequate compensation.
“Not for people who went without water for 14 full days,” she said.
“Not for those people who are elderly who had problems. Not for the disabled.”
Bell said she doesn’t know for sure what took so long for the water to come back, but says she heard it had to do with ordering the pipe.
CTV Winnipeg has reached out to the property management company for a response.
- With files from CTV's Jon Hendricks.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.
King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
Flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.