Winnipeg property owners could be billed for demolition clean ups

One Winnipeg city councillor thinks the city needs to do more to ensure unsafe, vacant properties are cleaned up after demolition.

According to Coun. Shawn Dobson, while the city demolishes buildings that are deemed unsafe, it’s up to the property owner to clean up the rubble. However, this can sometimes take months or even years.

“I don’t think it’s fair to anybody in the city of Winnipeg to have a pile of rubble, fenced off, sitting in their neighbourhood,” he said he in an interview on Monday.

“I think it’s important to clean it up right away, as soon as we can.”

Now, the city councillor is putting forward a motion that will see the clean-up process sped up.

The motion suggests that the city should be allowed to perform the demolitions and subsequent site cleaning, and then add the associated costs to the property owner’s municipal taxes.

“The motion I put forward will hopefully allow to look at it and say, ‘We should clean this up right away’ and then submit the bill to the property owner,” Dobson explained.

CTV Winnipeg previously reported that Councillors Cindy Gilroy and Vivian Santos put forward a similar motion last year.

Dobson’s motion will be reviewed on Friday at an Assiniboia Community Committee meeting.