Winnipeg mayor announces new measures to crack down on vacant and derelict buildings
The City of Winnipeg may soon have new measures to crack down on vacant and derelict buildings in the city.
On Tuesday, Mayor Scott Gillingham and councillors Sherri Rollins, John Orlikow and Cindy Gilroy announced two reports that provide recommendations aimed at getting vacant building owners to better secure their properties or tear them down.
The proposed measures would increase enforcement, expedite demolition, and incentivize building owners to respond to city orders related to vacant and derelict properties.
“We want to see changes to the conditions of vacant and derelict buildings,” Gillingham said.
“We want to improve our neighbourhoods, reduce neighbourhood blight and get these properties redeveloped so that we can establish the housing that is really, really needed.”
The proposed measures include stricter security requirements for problematic vacant buildings, including the use of higher-grade boarding materials, security fences, cameras, and security patrols.
The reports also suggest giving out non-compliant inspections fees to incentivize building owners to follow city orders; working with bylaw officers to identify problematic vacant buildings; and making a list of problematic vacant buildings available on Winnipeg’s open data portal.
The proposed initiatives also involve amendments to the Development Procedures Bylaw to expedite the process of demolition permits. The changes would allow the property department director to approve residential demolitions where there is no building permit and without going through a public hearing process.
Orlikow added the city is also looking at hiring four new bylaw officers to address the issue. The fees collected from the non-compliant fines would help pay for these new officers.
“The plan going forward is not to leave a building empty, not to leave it vacant, not to leave it unsecured,” he said.
Earlier this year, the city started charging vacant building owners for fire response services following a slew of fires at vacant homes. A motion was also put forward at city hall to get the debris from demolitions cleaned up faster by charging property owners to clear up the mess.
The city’s property committee will vote on the recommendations next week.
The full reports can be found online.
-With files from CTV’s Jeff Keele
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.