Mayor says Winnipeg working with MB Gov. to see if policies need change after Birchwood Terrace situation

As dozens of people still try to access their suites and figure out the next steps after being forced to evacuate from the Birchwood Terrace apartments on Portage Avenue, Mayor Scott Gillingham says conversations on the situation between the city and the province to address the situation are underway. 

“The city is having discussions with the province of Manitoba to see if anything needs to change. Needs to change in legislation. Needs to change in city by-laws?” said Gillingham.

“This is an opportunity for us to take a look at what we do, and how we do this work at the City of Winnipeg, and our policies and procedures in concert with the province of Manitoba to see if anything needs to be mended or changed.” 

An engineering report completed for Ladco Company Ltd., which owns Birchwood Terrace, triggered the city-ordered evacuation of the building to avoid what emergency management officials called a “potential disaster” due to the risk of collapse.

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Residents affected have been calling for the report to be released, but when those calls were brought to Mayor Gillingham Wednesday, he failed to commit. 

“It’s not the city’s report to be made public … it’s the report that’s owned by, and is the property of the property owner. And I’m not in any way defending the property owner, but there are processes in place and we have to honour that as well.” 

Birchwood tenant Des Kappel, who has been advocating for those displaced, says changes in legislation are desperately needed, as tenants were put at risk due to what he says was owner negligence.

However, he says it’s disappointing to hear the city’s top elected official won’t release the report, saying “hiding” it from the public and those affected the most is not the appropriate response. 

“The City takes situations like these very seriously and the safety of the building’s tenants has been our primary concern throughout this event. In this instance as soon as we had learned of the concerning condition of the building’s structure, there was a plan coordinated to inform and support displaced residents as quickly and safely as possible,” said Kalen Qually, the communications officer for the City of Winnipeg in a statement to CityNews.

“To reiterate, the Winnipeg Building Bylaw states the property owner shall not permit their premises to be in an unsafe condition. The City does not conduct routine structural inspections of properties.”

Ladco continues to decline comment.