City waits as property owner, province debate cleanup of former Vulcan Iron Works

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This article was published 12/02/2024 (572 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Conflicting government orders are being blamed for thwarting efforts to remove the charred remains of a Winnipeg industrial building.

On Monday, city council’s property and development committee adjourned an appeal of a civic order that the property owner clean up the former Vulcan Iron Works foundry at Sutherland Avenue and Maple Street North.

Instead of voting on the appeal Monday, the committee is now expected to consider it April 22.

Fire gutted the property in July 2023, which was followed by at least two more blazes, including one in September and another in January.

While the City of Winnipeg ordered the property owner to “mitigate unsafe conditions” at the site Sept. 5, Sheldon Blank appealed, stressing he can’t get a demolition permit due to a provincial stop-work order.

Blank told the committee the provincial order is linked to health and safety concerns about possible asbestos in the rubble.

“We’ve been attempting to obtain a demolition permit for some period of time and the problem has been to accommodate the workplace safety committee of the province of Manitoba… They’ve taken a very rigorous approach to our proposals,” Blank said Monday.

He said three different work proposals have been rejected so far.

Blank said the potential demolition plan is also complicated by the potential cost to complete the work. “The property has a certain value and, practically speaking, we’re trying to find a way so that… the cost of the demolition doesn’t exceed the value of the property.”

Antoine Hacault, Blank’s lawyer, told the committee the province’s order legally trumps the City of Winnipeg’s order.

“The province takes precedence. If it has a stop order, we cannot breach that stop order,” said Hacault.

In January, a provincial spokesperson confirmed a stop-work order remained in effect because the structure may have asbestos-containing materials.

“When disturbed, asbestos dust can pose a health risk, so it is important to ensure that appropriate measures are in place to prevent asbestos from becoming airborne. Manitoba takes asbestos management very seriously, as asbestos-linked disease is a leading cause of occupational illness and death,” a statement noted at the time.

Provincial officials did not provide further comment by deadline Monday.

City officials at Monday’s meeting said the provincial order continues to prevent the property owner from getting a demolition permit.

“There were, and are, delays in obtaining permits based on the method of cleanup that provincial workplace health and safety office is requiring,” said Kelly Happychuk, Winnipeg chief of enforcement and investigation.

Officials noted wet demolition is often preferred at sites where asbestos may be present, but the process isn’t suitable in winter weather.

The adjournment was meant to allow further time for the owner and province to sort out a solution — though it came after some councillors expressed concern the rubble poses a significant issue for residents who live near it.

“With respect to life safety… I don’t want any dust to settle… I want a tough-as-nails approach on derelict buildings and buildings where there (are) life safety issues,” said Coun. Sherri Rollins, chairwoman of the property and development committee.

After the meeting, Rollins (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry) declined to further discuss the hearing itself, since it was adjourned to a later date.

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In general, she expressed concerns provincial stop-work orders are delaying some rubble-filled city sites from being cleaned up.

“Winnipeggers are looking at the city to deal with (this)… (when) we shouldn’t be the only ones working on it,” said Rollins.

Hacault said the property owner is trying to meet with the province to sort out any demolition issues as soon as possible.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter

Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.

Every piece of reporting Joyanne 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.