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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

U of W purchases condemned West End home

By: Jen Skerritt

Posted: 08/25/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

THE University of Winnipeg has purchased a derelict West End home that was recently condemned due to extreme squalor.

University officials confirmed they've purchased the property at 366 Spence St. for an undisclosed amount of money. An elderly man was removed from the home several weeks ago after public health inspectors deemed the residence inhabitable due to health and safety concerns.

Access to the home was obscured by excessive items and deplorable living conditions.

No one can enter the home due to concerns over its structure and air quality, and a number of feral cats continue to go in and out of the home through cracks in the basement.

Dan Hurley, U of W's senior executive officer, said the university has been in discussions to purchase the property with the homeowner's family and finalized a deal last week. He said U of W will take possession of the property in October, and will likely demolish the home, weather permitting.

Winnipeg Humane Society officials don't believe any animals are trapped inside or will be hurt by demolition.

Hurley said the university was aware of health and safety concerns about the man's home, but that he has always been an "amicable" neighbour who kept a watchful eye on the campus community. He said U of W will likely use the vacant lot for extra parking spots in the short-term, before officials determine exactly how it could be redeveloped.

Hurley said the university now owns an entire block of Spence Street, and that existing space could be turned into a multi-purpose athletic complex for soccer, wrestling, and track.

"We have some ideas and plans on how to bring that whole block between Duckworth (Centre) and CBC into some new development," Hurley said. "I think the real potential for that space is the expansion of our recreational facilities."

Hurley said the homeowner's relatives are responsible for any clean-up of the residence until October, and are trying to gain access to the home to retrieve personal possessions. He said city officials will not let anyone inside, and U of W officials are working with the city and the family to address those concerns.

City officials did not respond to the Free Press on Tuesday.

"The difficulty is no one has been able to get in the house," Hurley said.

Winnipeg Humane Society executive director Bill McDonald said animal welfare workers are not allowed on the property without the permission of the homeowner's relatives. He said there are still a couple of cats going in and out of cracks in the home, but that the elderly man confirmed the cats can move freely and cannot be trapped inside.

McDonald said it's still unclear whether the cats belong to the 80-year-old man or whether they came from another location in the neighbourhood.

jen.skerritt@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 25, 2010 B3

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