City to consider billing vacant property owners less after fires High vacant-building fees seen as deterrent to renovations; mayor insists owners won’t be let ‘off the hook’ By: Joyanne Pursaga Posted: 6:05 PM CDT Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024

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This article was published 09/10/2024 (676 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The City of Winnipeg could reduce some fees charged to property owners when crews battle fires at their vacant buildings, in hopes of ensuring more bills are paid and fewer blazes take place.

But some advocates fear the diminished fees will weaken the city’s ability to crack down on neglected properties.

In March 2023, Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service began billing some vacant building owners for the full cost to fight fires on their properties.

The strategy failed to reduce the number of blazes, according to a new WFPS report.

The proposed changes reflect the low portion of fees actually paid in 2023 — $78,450 out of $1,149,883 charged — and concerns that higher fees could prevent some landowners from funding renovations that create more affordable housing, said WFPS Chief Christian Schmidt.

“Vacant property fires are an issue in our city … (But) in terms of community risk reduction, we need to make sure that our fees are at such a level that if somebody does have a fire at their property, that the fee … is not going to put them in a situation where they essentially have to walk away from their property and they’re not able to renovate that property,” said Schmidt.

The WFPS recommended city council immediately replace the wide-ranging fees with ones that are predetermined and lower on average and seek provincial approval to add the charges to property tax bills.

The average response fee was $26,000 per property last year, while the highest was $138,000, which would drop to between $5,000 and $20,000 per fire, if council approves.

The WFPS paused collection of the fees in December 2023 as it reviewed the process, though it has continued to track the data and can still bill affected owners.

Mayor Scott Gillingham said the approach would not mean the city is backing down from a tough stance on vacant and derelict buildings.

“It’s still a tough approach, there’s still significant penalties being suggested here, being recommended. So, we’re not letting property owners … off the hook,” said Gillingham.

Under the new system, owners charged for fire responses would be billed $5,000 for the first fire, $10,000 for the second, $15,000 for the third and $20,000 for the fourth and each subsequent fire.

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Owners charged prior to the proposed changes could also “opt in” to pay the new fees and seek refunds to make up any difference on already paid bills.

The mayor said he’s open to discussing higher fees than the WFPS recommends but that will be sorted out through council debate.

“We’re always willing to work with property owners to try to find ways to get them to develop their properties to reduce the number of vacant and derelict buildings … We have 700 of them right now. That is too many,” said Gillingham.

Coun. Evan Duncan said he’d prefer council set higher fees.

“Is $5,000, $10,000, $15,000 enough? I am of the opinion it is not,” said Duncan.

A Winnipegger who has lobbied the city to combat frequent vacant building fires in his neighbourhood is urging council to reject any fee reduction.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea. You need to be tough with the landlords and just go with status quo. I think if they lower the fees it will show weakness on the city’s part,” said Darrell Warren, president of the William Whyte Neighbourhood Association. “I think that the (owners who) aren’t going to pay, aren’t going to pay no matter how low you go.”

Warren said high penalties are needed to help deter conditions that leave homes vulnerable to fire and reflect the risk the blazes pose to neighbours.

“If you live next door to one of these properties, maybe one day you might die in one of these fires. I think we need to send a tough message,” he said.

Property owners can be charged the firefighting fees after they have received at least one vacant-building bylaw inspection. Fires caused by natural disasters or vehicle collisions, as well as those that started at another property, are exempt.

There were 156 vacant building fires in 2023 and 106 in 2024, up to the end of June, only some of which fall under those parameters.

The owners of 43 properties were charged the fees last year but just three bills have been paid in full, with payments made on two others.

The WFPS issued six bills for firefighting in William Whyte, five in Dufferin, four in Spence and three in St. Matthews, as well as two each in the Centennial, North Point Douglas, Talbot-Grey and West Broadway neighbourhoods.

In 2023, the WFPS initially expected to charge $1.2 million in fees, which would be reduced to about $250,000 to $300,000, if the new plan is approved. That roughly $900,000 difference would likely become part of a WFPS cost overrun request later this year, the report notes.

The changes would also give the WFPS chief the authority to waive some of the firefighting charges to property owners through a new committee. Some previously charged owners could also apply for a waiver.

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.