A Winnipeg couple is facing a potential fine or jail time if they don’t re-paint their home.
On Saturday, Rodney and Doris Pearson received registered mail from the City of Winnipeg.
“I thought, oh what? My taxes and everything, they’re all paid. What do they want?” said Rodney, 76.
The city wants the couple to paint their home, garage and fence or potentially face a $1000 fine and/or 6 months in jail.
It was a notice sent as an order under the Neighbourhood Livability Bylaw.
The bylaw states, ‘the paint on a painted surface is maintained and renewed so that no more than 25% percent of the area of any painted surface is blistered, cracked, flaked, scaled, or chalked away.’
The bylaw also says it’s the general obligation of the homeowner to maintain their property so that ‘they do not substantially depreciate the value of other land and buildings in the vicinity.’
The Pearson’s don’t deny the back and side walls of the house needs a new coat of paint, but they’re more concerned with the May 4th, 2016 deadline.
“It might be winter yet in May on the fourth,” Rodney said, “You never know, it hasn’t come yet. It’ll be too cold to paint probably.”
The couple lives on pension and are not physically able to paint the two story home themselves.
“We’ve had assessments done and different things. Nobody ever said it needs to be done, nobody said anything,” said Doris, 83, “So you assume that we’ll leave it until we get the money to do it.”
The Pearson’s would like to appeal the notice and try to get a deadline extension, but according to the city’s letter, that would cost them $250.
The Pearson’s have lived in their home on Redwood Avenue since the 1971.
