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Homeowners decry possible demolition

Want tighter rules amid permit flap

By: Jen Skerritt

Posted: 02/20/2013 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 02/20/2013 10:45 AM | Updates

Arnel Mercado outside his Pritchard Avenue home. He wonders why homeowners don't have more rights. (WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store

Other items on the agenda

Other things that happened at council's property committee on Tuesday:

Land sale: The committee voted in favour of a plan to declare a strip of vacant land on Mulvey Avenue East in Fort Rouge surplus so it can be sold. The city-owned property was initially one of the parcels of land set to be traded in a land swap to Shindico Realty for Winnipeg's new fire-paramedic Station No. 12.
The land swap was scrapped, and city council voted to delay the sale of the Mulvey Avenue East land in November. The move still has to be approved by executive policy committee and city council.
City-owned buildings: Winnipeg's public administration will hold a council seminar on civic buildings. In January, Couns. Paula Havixbeck (Charleswood-Tuxedo) and Dan Vandal (St. Boniface) called for a report on civic buildings, how much it will cost to replace them and the current level of insurance coverage following the fire that destroyed the Elmwood Community Centre. On Tuesday, city administration said officials will hold a seminar for city councillors on the matter to disclose this information.

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WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Arnel Mercado in the stairway to the basement where the inspector found the headroom for the stairs too low to meet code.

A local family wants the City of Winnipeg to tighten its inspection rules following revelations their brand-new William Whyte home could be demolished due to a problem with the contractor's building permit.

Arnel Mercado purchased a home at 695 Pritchard Ave. from Hollywood Homes Inc. last March and moved in with his wife and son. Mercado said he thought there were no issues with the home until he decided to renovate the basement in November.

When he applied for a permit to renovate, Mercado said, a city inspector told him the home never had a final inspection of its construction.

In late December, the city revoked Hollywood Homes Inc.'s building permits for Mercado's home, in addition to two other properties on Bowman Avenue and Chevrier Boulevard after officials discovered submitted drawings "have been deliberately altered" to indicate they were approved by an engineer.

The city has ordered Hollywood Homes to obtain a new building permit for all three properties, or alternatively, obtain a permit to demolish all construction.

If Hollywood Homes fails to comply, the City of Winnipeg will bring the properties into compliance, which may include demolishing them. Two of the properties -- including Mercado's Pritchard Avenue home -- are currently occupied by families.

Last week, Hollywood Homes Inc. owner Dave Haner alleged he purchased the blueprints with a false engineering seal from a city building inspector.

"He should not have been given any permits to build. What's our protection as the buyer?" Mercado said. "I'm very concerned, because what will I do after this if it's to be demolished? We will be moving again."

On Tuesday, council's property committee delayed Haner's appeal of the city orders pending an investigation into allegations he bought falsified blueprints from a city building inspector.

City property director Barry Thorgrimson said the department wants to do a complete review to find out what happened. Thorgrimson said he's not aware of any past instances in which Winnipeg has dealt with falsified engineering reports, noting it is a serious matter.

Thorgrimson said the review will examine the structural integrity of the homes to ensure they are not in jeopardy, the legal aspects of the engineering seal and the code of conduct of employees.

"We take it very seriously and we're certainly not going to jump to any conclusions, but we'll go through complete due diligence and act appropriately," he said, declining to discuss personnel issues publicly.

Last year, Winnipeg introduced a new approval process to speed up the time it takes to get a building permit. The new strategy puts more onus on property owners and commercial builders to ensure their designs meet building-code requirements.

While some designs -- such as hospitals and schools -- will undergo more scrutiny, projects such as single-family homes or strip malls can be approved if architects or engineers submit certificates stating the plans are up to code.

The city uses a computer program to randomly select which projects get detailed reviews, and developers or homebuilders who do not have a good record for code compliance will receive more reviews than those with good records.

jen.skerritt@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 20, 2013 0

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Updated on Wednesday, February 20, 2013 at 10:45 AM CST: replaces photo

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