‘Exhausted’ options: city to consider three-year limit on vacant homes

The City of Winnipeg could explore a three-year time limit on vacant buildings.

A new motion calls for the city to impose quicker and more severe penalties to address residential buildings that sit empty for more than three consecutive years, unless the owner is making a “meaningful effort” to fix up, rent or sell them.

At the three-year mark, the motion suggests the city could issue expedited “forced rehabilitation orders” to fix up such properties, let governments mandate that they be leased for housing or another “public use” (with payments to the owner), or finally, expropriate them once other efforts fail, said Coun. Cindy Gilroy, who raised the idea.

“I think we’ve tried, we’ve exhausted everything (else) that we possibly can (do) … (This is) basically (about determining) what other tools we have. I know that other cities actually have really strict time limits on how long a building can stay vacant. For people that are purposely leaving their buildings vacant, we could say … right now we have a housing crisis, we’re going to take it over,” said Gilroy (Daniel McIntyre).

Since 2023, the city has introduced several new measures to crack down on vacant homes, after complaints about abandoned or fire-gutted structures plaguing inner city neighbourhoods. The city began requiring stronger boarding materials and other security measures to prevent break-ins, added more bylaw enforcement officers to carry out inspections and introduced new inspection fees. Another effort streamlined demolition permits, allowing some to be granted without a public hearing.

Gilroy said multiple homes and former apartment blocks remain vacant in her ward, however, which highlights why further action is needed.

“We’re seeing lots of fires, and so that leaves a lot of debris. It really leaves a neighbourhood feeling like they’ve been forgotten,” she said.

Gilroy believes three years offers enough time for a property owner to reoccupy a home or apartment block or sell it to someone who can.

A resident who has long pushed the city to tackle the surge in vacant and burned-out homes in his neighbourhood welcomed the concept. However, he would like to see it applied sooner, since empty homes are at greater risk of break-ins, fires, squatting and dumping.

“I think the time limit isn’t good enough. I think it should be a two-year (limit) instead … If, in two years, you’re not doing anything with a property, you’re probably not going to do anything with it,” said Darrell Warren, president of the William Whyte Neighbourhood Association.

Warren said about eight or nine homes on his street have sat vacant for at least two years, some much longer.

One home that’s been empty for about 18 months was first broken into two days after its owner passed away, he said, with the culprits stealing everything of value before setting the structure on fire. He said the property has since been repeatedly damaged.

“I think (stricter measures are) definitely appropriate because if you live next door to one of these particular properties, you’re going to deal with the boards being ripped open every other month and always the chance there’s going to be a fire there … If you’re a neighbour of (a vacant) property, three years is a long time,” said Warren.

A Winnipegger who lives near a vacant Douglas Park Road property that burned down last month after being left unoccupied for several years echoed the support for a time limit on vacant buildings, as well as a desire to see one kick in sooner.

“(The home in my area has) been a real nightmare for a good number of years. There should be a restriction, once it’s been a derelict home, that (requires) something to happen … I don’t think three years is (short) enough,” said the resident, who did not want their name published.

The 2.5-storey Douglas Park home caught fire June 21 and was removed in an emergency demolition.

On Thursday, the city centre community committee approved Gilroy’s motion. If council’s property and development committee also votes in favour of it, city staff will report on options to make the changes.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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