Familiar scene sparks action

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Becca Ouellette says she didn't know she could apply for renter's insurance. (PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)

The weekend blaze at a Beverley Street apartment block left a few residents homeless and many more penniless as none of the tenants in the building had renter's insurance.

The revelation sparked the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg to take action once the smoke had cleared, announcing the launch of an educational and political blitz to tackle a problem they see far too often.

The Beverley blaze caused an estimated $625,000 in property damage. Starting around 5:15 a.m., it forced 18 residents -- including 12 children -- to evacuate.

"Hopefully by this time next year, you won't be running any more stories about how families have lost everything to a fire a week before Christmas," said UFFW President Alex Forrest. "It's a tragedy. And we try to help, but it's become bigger than us to handle."

Forrest estimates 90 per cent of people who live in low-income housing, are on government assistance or live in the inner city are not covered by any insurance whatsoever. "But this issue is not just in the inner city," he said, "it happens across the city."

He's witnessed it too many times in his 23-year career as a firefighter, he added. The charities and safe houses for those affected by fires are also overwhelmed.

"People always believe that fire will never hit them," he said. "Renters think they don't need it. They have a false sense of security."

Becca Ouellette was a resident of the Beverley block and, like all the others in the building, had no insurance to cover her damages.

"I couldn't put a price tag on it," Ouellette said. "We're focusing on the fact that everyone's OK. We barely made it out with our six month old."

Ouellette said she didn't know she could apply for tenant's insurance and thinks it's "something that's not talked about too much."

"I didn't know it was that cheap," she said. "I wish I had known."

The UFFW has taken a two-fold leadership role to tackle the issue, gearing up for an education blitz in January through a public relations campaign, as well as attempting to get other stakeholders on board.

Forrest said he's informally spoken to Mayor Sam Katz and Premier Greg Selinger about the overwhelming lack of tenant insurance in Winnipeg, and hopes to get the insurance industry to become part of the solution.

In Manitoba, a landlord can't insist a tenant have insurance as a condition to rent, though the Residential Tenancies Branch recommends tenants consider buying an insurance package for their own protection.

"Some jurisdictions include tenant's insurance as a part of the rent for the people in need," said Forrest, who suggested perhaps a partnership was a possibility for the future.

"If we get the ball rolling, we can stop the tragedies," he said. "It's reached such a level that we have to make it public. This is a real issue."

Curtis Wyatt, of the Insurance Brokers Association of Manitoba, said he's seen this situation play out "countless times" in Winnipeg, and agreed many renters don't think about insurance until after they incur a loss.

Wyatt estimated getting insurance for tenants at the 290 Beverley Street apartment would have cost between $159 to $194 annually -- or $13 to $16 a month.

"Every circumstance is different, of course," said Wyatt. "But not only does insurance replace lost or damaged items, it covers additional living expenses for being put up in a hotel or temporary apartment."

For Forrest, a city wide or provincewide socialized insurance program is one option the UFFW is exploring to keep the costs low. It would be the first of its kind in Canada.

"Manitoba has always been proactive on so many things," he said. "It's time to be proactive on this issue. There is a very strong need for individuals to be able to access tenant insurance, and this is one solution we're researching."

laura.beeston@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 21, 2011 B1