Building owner receives six-figure fine for vacant house fire in Winnipeg
Owners of nine vacant buildings that burned down have been hit with a wide range of fines, with one amount surpassing six figures.
Two weeks ago the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service announced it had started charging the owners following a bylaw change at Council in January.
Now the WFPS has released the value of the fines. Five of them run between $4,778 to $7,718. The remaining four range between $27,565 to $103,772.
Only one on the fines - worth $4,778 - has been paid in full.
A document from the City of Winnipeg shows outstanding fines for owners of properties damaged by fire.
The move to charge the owners the cost of fighting fires in the empty houses and buildings comes as the city grapples with a rise in these types of blazes.
Last year, Winnipeg saw 84 vacant property fires, up from 64 in 2021, and 41 in 2020. So far this year, 32 have been reported.
Councillors and the WFPS say the want to see the empty buildings fixed up for people to live in to help revitalize areas of the inner city. Many of these vacant homes are prone to fire, vandalism and other crimes.
Last week, Councillors Cindy Gilroy and Vivian Santos put forward a motion to have property owners charged the cost to clean up sites where piles of rubble remain for more than six months following demolition.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6958682.1720639670!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Canada to announce plan to reach NATO target, spend 2% of GDP on defence: sources
After facing months of pressure, senior government sources tell CTV News that Canada will unveil its plan on Thursday on how to reach its NATO commitment to spend two per cent of its GDP on defence.
His brother was found dead, his mother was arrested before this baby was found crawling by a highway
A Louisiana sheriff says a one-year-old 'miracle baby' survived two days of sometimes stormy weather before a truck driver spotted him crawling along a roadside the day after his four-year-old brother was found dead and his mother was arrested in Mississippi.
Coolers seized from Vancouver encampment during heat wave
Rangers seized two coolers from a person living in a tent in Vancouver's CRAB Park Tuesday as a heat wave scorched the city, the park board has confirmed.
Frank Stronach's granddaughter seeks company docs related to misconduct allegations
The granddaughter of billionaire businessman Frank Stronach is asking an Ontario court to order the family business to disclose any documents that might exist related to complaints of sexual misconduct against him and settlements involving complainants.
Video shows police officer taking firefighter's hose, spraying people in East Vancouver
The Vancouver Police Department is defending the actions of an officer who was recorded taking a firefighter's water hose and spraying two people in the head on Canada Day.
Actor George Clooney, a high-profile Biden supporter and fundraiser, asks president to leave race
Movie star and lifelong Democrat George Clooney added his voice to calls for Joe Biden to leave the presidential race on Wednesday, just weeks after headlining a fundraiser that brought in a record single-night haul for the president's reelection campaign.
Ellen DeGeneres is 'done' after her Netflix special
Ellen DeGeneres has reportedly said she's ready to tap out of performing. The former daytime talk show host let that be known during a recent standup show at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa, California.
Costco to increase annual membership fee to $65 this September
Costco is increasing its annual membership fees in Canada and the U.S. this fall to $65.
Family of 3 killed in tragic collision on B.C. highway, RCMP say
A family of three was killed in a tragic head-on collision with a tractor trailer in B.C.'s Fraser Valley this week, authorities have confirmed. The deceased are two adults and an infant.