Winnipeg continues to crack down on vacant building problem after latest string of fires

Winnipeg is hoping to fast track the demolition of vacant buildings in the city.

It’s one of a handful of recommendations announced Tuesday aimed at dealing with Winnipeg’s vacant house problem.

The city also wants owners of vacant buildings to properly secure their properties with higher-grade boarding materials, the installation of security fences and cameras, motion sensor lighting and improved building security patrols. Having vehicles and combustible materials on a vacant property would also be prohibited.

Owners could face a fine for not complying. The city says those regulations would be enforced with the addition of four bylaw officers.

A list of problematic vacant buildings would also created and made available on the city’s website. Education and awareness programs would be created to inform the public about vacant building issues and enforcement processes.

As far as the demolition process, the city is hoping to expedite the process for permits submitted without accompanying building permits.

“Under the new process, the approval will be delegated to the Director of Planning, Property and Development, with consultation with the Ward Councillor. This will allow for a more rapid response to problematic buildings and support the ongoing efforts to manage and mitigate vacant building issues within the city,” the City of Winnipeg said in a statement.

Those recommendations will be reviewed by the Standing Policy Committee on Property and Development on June 1.

Fires at vacant Winnipeg homes

Earlier this month, the City of Winnipeg began recouping some of the costs to put out fires at vacant properties after a new bylaw was enacted this year. One of the largest invoices issued was for $104,000.

Tuesday’s announcement made by Mayor Scott Gillingham and three city councillors came following a string of vacant house fires over the long weekend and into the week.

“These types of modest apartment buildings were once the backbone of thriving communities. Now they stand as symbols of neglect,” said Mayor Gillingham.

The latest vacant house fire was on Tuesday shortly after midnight, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service said, when crews were called to a two-and-a-half storey house on William Avenue.

It was the third fire at that vacant home since March, the WFPS said. Crews were also called to the property in May 2022.

“Just stepped outside because I smelled smoke,” recalled a neighbourhood resident who didn’t want to reveal their name. “My partner got one of the kids to check out the back to see where the smoke was coming from, and we saw it was coming from this house right here. The whole backside was enflamed.

“Last month the same house was on fire, this time it was the front side.”

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Firefighters were called to two vacant house fires early Saturday morning – one on Dufferin Avenue and another on Selkirk Avenue. The WFPS said both of those homes had already been damaged in previous fires.

“Every time our paramedics have to attend or firefighters have to attend into a building, there’s risk involved,” said Gillingham. “There’s community safety risk involved and there’s risk to our to our staff. We don’t want that.”

Data from the WFPS shows there were nine fires in vacant buildings in all of 2015. That rose to 41 in 2020, 64 in 2021, 84 in 2022. This year the city is on track for more than 90 fires at vacant properties.