‘We’ve been heard’: Lions Place tenants meet new management

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This article was published 16/02/2023 (934 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A representative for senior tenants at Lions Place says there’s a feeling of cautious optimism in the air after a meeting with its new owner.

Mainstreet Equity Corp., a Calgary-based real estate investment firm, confirmed it had purchased the Winnipeg apartment building through a letter sent to tenants Wednesday.

It included an invitation to a residents-only meeting Thursday morning with Mainstreet vice-president Sheena Reyes Keslick.

Lions Place seniors action committee chairman Gerald Brown said the gathering included promises to keep amenities important to residents in place — such as the in-house library, greenhouse and programming — which helped the conversation move smoothly.

There’s still some of the anxiety that lingered just a day ago, Brown said, but considerably less.

“(Residents) are talking about it, they’re discussing it. There’s not nearly the speculation… going on about it. They’re talking about the things that she said, and how do we feel about that, and how did that go, that’s where that’s at now,” he said.

“You know, I can’t say we’re comfortable, but I can say that we’ve been heard.”

The meeting came after weeks of dread for tenants of the former non-profit apartment building, who feared sudden rent spikes and the removal of support systems offered by previous management.

Lions Housing Centres put the building up for sale after its funding agreement with the province expired in 2018. It was originally built with the purpose of providing affordable housing to seniors.

According to Mainstreet’s website, the firm manages properties throughout Western Canada and focuses on purchasing “distressed” properties and renovating them.

At the time of its sale, which was reportedly for $24 million, the reportedly building needed millions of dollars in repairs.

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Manitoba Families Minister Rochelle Squires promised a two-year rent freeze for current Lions Place tenants last month, through $1.2 million in subsidies.

After that, however, rent could increase — an issue still weighing heavy on tenants’ minds, Brown said. “Those are the things that the seniors action committee will be monitoring now, and also monitoring the transition, (to see if it’s) comfortable and easy for people.”

It’s not all optimism, however. Brown said tenants are in a “honeymoon period,” but are preparing themselves for anything to come.

“Actions speak louder than words. These were excellent words today, they were well-spoken, they felt comfortable, we felt as though she was empathetic,” he said. “But we’ll have to see the action now.”

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca

Malak Abas
Reporter

Malak Abas is a city reporter at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg’s North End, she led the campus paper at the University of Manitoba before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Malak.

Every piece of reporting Malak produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.