‘Keeping it clean, keeping it safe’

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This article was published 20/03/2024 (567 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For Jason Genaille, moving his family into the Balmoral Hotel six weeks ago stood in stark contrast to a stay years earlier during the height of the hotel’s notoriety.

“Back then, I wouldn’t have come here with my family, but now it’s different,” he said. “They have security and everything, they’re keeping it clean, keeping it safe.”

Genaille, his wife and two children moved to the hotel when the pipes froze and burst at his Manitoba Housing residence. They were referred to the Balmoral through the federal Jordan’s Principle program, which funds families of First Nations children, until they could find a permanent home.

Kam Khaira, an entrepreneur, and Antonio Paletta, a psychiatrist, pitched a different style of single-room occupancy when they announced they had purchased the property at 621 Balmoral St. While the hotel had been used to house northern First Nations people who are in the city for medical appointments, the beer vendor, lounge and slots had been a hub for criminal activity and were regarded as unsafe.

Now, while rooms will remain as short-term housing for patients and others in need, the beer vendor, VLTs, and basement bar are to be replaced by a walk-in clinic, drop-in support site and daycare.

Renovation of the 45 rooms was completed this month, while work on other parts of the hotel will continue until later this year.

In the rooms, carpet has been replaced by hardwood floors, bathrooms have been upgraded, including some that have been made wheelchair-accessible, furniture has been replaced and a fresh coat of paint has brightened up the place.

Tenants have inspired certain changes: dinner service is no longer restricted to two hours, Khaira said, and healthier food is available.

“(It’s) small little things (where), before, they never got that kind of respect in the past,” he said.

Currently, rent for the majority of Balmoral tenants is paid by Manitoba Housing or Jordan’s Principle. Khaira said reserves pay for their residents who come to the city.

The decision to boost security to keep out non-tenants was key.

“We want people here for healing. We don’t want people to come and party, that kind of stuff,” he said. ”So we are pretty picky when it comes to walk-ins.”

Some tenants would be homeless if not for the hotel, Khaira said, so they never fully vacated the premises.

“We planned to shut down and do a renovation, but then there were some people (who were longtime tenants), and we didn’t want to tell them to find another home, because there is already a shortage of rooms in Winnipeg,” he said.

The basement is occupied by 1JustCity, which has provided support and cultural programs since January. This month, the hotel signed a lease with Splash Child Care Inc. to provide child care. The search for a medical centre to take over what was once the beer vendor is still underway.

City of Winnipeg property assessment notices from 2022-24 list the Balmoral Hotel’s value as greater than $3 million. To date, $900,000 has been invested into the hotel.

While the original plan was have Pimicikamak Cree Nation as a primary owner, with the hotel being renamed to Pimicikamak Wellness Centre, Chief David Monias said discussions are still underway.

Monias hopes to hold a presentation for council and community members before the First Nation invests in the property.

“It’s not that we’re opposed to it, it has to be formalized,” Monias said Tuesday.

Khaira also owns the Kildonan Motor Hotel and the Westbrook Inn, which have typical amenities: beer vendors, lounges, and VLTs.

Creating short-term housing without those features isn’t just good for the community, he said, it’s been good for business.

Currently, only one or two rooms are vacant, but before they purchased the Balmoral, it struggled to maintain 50 per cent occupancy.

“It’s less money compared to other things, but it’s less headache, and you know you’re doing something good.”

Neither the City of Winnipeg nor the Manitoba government keep track of single-room occupancy hotels. End Homelessness Winnipeg said there were about 763 units in 28 hotels in Winnipeg in 2022.

A report by the organization found the average rent for surveyed hotels was $631 per month, and most tenants stayed for more than a year.

The stock of single-room housing has plummeted in recent years as hotels have burnt down or been demolished.

Others that remain in operation aren’t considered safe or adequate, said Jino Distasio, University of Winnipeg geography professor.

“As we’ve seen a steep decline in (that) stock, you’ve also seen a counter-rise in the visibility of homelessness in the downtown, say, of Winnipeg and other North American cities. (They) have gutted their most affordable housing, but haven’t found an alternative,” he said.

The Balmoral isn’t the first hotel with a poor reputation to get a makeover in Winnipeg. The Merchants Hotel on Selkirk Avenue was shifted from hotel rooms to rental housing and community space, in partnership with the North End Community Renewal Corp. in 2018.

“If the Balmoral Hotel and hotels like it can offer something that meets the needs of people and is decent and has some quality to it, and it’s safe and secure, then let’s try it,” Distasio said.

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca