Winnipeg's vacant building owners to foot firefighting bill
Owners of vacant buildings in Winnipeg will now have to foot the firefighting bill if there is a fire on their property.
At city hall Thursday, councillors voted in favour of amending the city's vacant building bylaw. The move means owners of vacant buildings will be solely responsible for paying the total cost of the fire response services in the event of a fire.
"The goal of imposing fire protection fees on property owners is to encourage them to protect their buildings and really return them to the housing market," said Coun. Sherri Rollins (Fort-Rouge East Fort Garry), chair of the property and development committee.
She called the change a tough-as-nails approach.
"I want building owners to do the right thing, securing their buildings and putting them into use because we are in a housing crisis."
A report to the city recommended the bylaw changes, saying between 2019 and 2021 there were 118 vacant structure fires, with estimated costs of $1.4 million. That means a single fire could lead to fees close to $15,000.
It lists fees charged would be $340 per hour for a district chief and driver, and $1,357 per hour for various emergency vehicles.
"I think this will do really, really good in the inner-city neighbourhoods where we are seeing a lot of fires in our vacant buildings," said Coun. Cindy Gilroy (Daniel Mclntyre).
The bylaw change does have exemptions, including fires caused by unrelated arsons, natural disasters or when a vehicle collides with the building.
While he supported the motion, Coun. Ross Eadie (Mynarski) said the city also needs to be taking other steps to deal with vacant and derelict buildings.
Gilroy said this is a critical step for the city to take as it struggles to find affordable housing.
-With files from CTV's Jeff Keele
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
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.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.