Winnipeg high-rise tenants go week without water

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/09/2021 (1444 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For a week, Cathy has transported pails of water up to her 21st-floor apartment so she can brush her teeth and do dishes.

The 72-year-old, who has arthritis and a heart condition, has lived at 400 Webb Place for 12 years. The building is one of three making up Place Promenade, an apartment complex behind Portage Place shopping centre in Winnipeg.

On Thursday, she had no running water, no explanation for why, and no idea when she’d get it again. Cathy and other residents said they’d been without since Sept. 17.

“It just doesn’t seem right that I have to wait for a week to get water,” she said.

Floors 1 through 16 had cold water as of Thursday; the top five floors had nothing.

Instead, tenants have the option of filling containers at a rented City of Winnipeg water tank outside on Webb Place, at the laundry room in neighbouring 410 Webb Place, or at the laundry room in their own building, though it was solely cold water Thursday.

Cathy has five-litre pails in her rooms to catch roof leaks; now, she’s using them in her water transfers.

“Nobody’s going to help you, and water’s very heavy,” she said.

Residents are to contact security to take showers at 410 Webb Place’s vacant rooms. When the Free Press stopped by Thursday evening, nobody was at the security desk. The gym at 410 Webb Place also has showers for use.

Four porta-potties line a central hallway on 400 Webb Place’s main floor. A branching hallway hosts another two.

“I just about fell over (when I saw them),” Cathy said. “How sanitary is that?”

Residents say they never received individual notices about the water loss. Instead, they’ve been getting information via memos posted near elevators and laundry sites.

There hasn’t been an explanation for the lack of water or a timeline for when it will be fixed, they said.

Place Promenade property managers could not be reached after numerous attempts.

“Contractors are still working on getting water to the rest of the building,” a letter from management near an elevator reads.

One tenant, who remains anonymous to prevent repercussions, said he reached out to management a couple times but received few answers.

“We have elderly people, disabled people and babies in the building,” said the man who lives with his elderly father, who has mobility issues. The resident has been fetching water to use for toilet flushes.

He planned to attend a tenants meeting Friday night organized by the West Broadway Community Organization. One affected renter had contacted the entity to start a discussion.

“Often, tenancy issues can feel very isolating, and bringing people together can establish more clarity around an issue,” said Ella Rockar, organization manager of housing initiatives.

The meeting will also inform attendees of their rights as tenants, Rockar said.

The City of Winnipeg has rented a water tank to 400 Webb Place, but it plays no further role in the situation, a spokesperson said.

“All water mains in the area remain on,” they wrote in an email. “This is private work, and city crews aren’t involved.”

gabrielle.piche@freepress.mb.ca