Landlords should foot the bill: province

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/03/2025 (255 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Manitoba government has proposed a law that would make landlords pay for hotel rooms when tenants are displaced owing to a safety issue, instead of taxpayers being on the hook, as was the case when a Winnipeg apartment tower was deemed dangerous last year.

“We brought this bill to protect the renters again with what happened at Birchwood Terrace,” said Public Services Delivery Minister Mintu Sandhu, who oversees the Residential Tenancies Act under the consumer protection part of his portfolio.

“That was really bad. Individuals were forced out of the building … we want to strengthen renters’ rights and also we want to hold those landlords accountable for their actions as well to see they are keeping their buildings up to date and up to code — that’s what it is.”

The government is looking at changing parts of the Residential Tenancies Act to include a provision that would force landlords to pay tenants’ rent, service charges and compensation when a building is ordered to be vacated if it fails to meet health, building, maintenance or occupancy standards.

As well, landlords of vacated buildings would be disqualified from applying for rent increases above the annual provincial maximum, during the evacuation and for two years after tenants are allowed to return.

An exception would be made if the landlord took all reasonable steps to prevent the circumstances that resulted in a vacate order, or if the damage was caused by a tenant.

“I’m so happy about this,” longtime Birchwood Terrace resident Debby Ross said when she heard about the proposal. “That’s fantastic. I’m so proud of the province.”

Carol Lynch, another tenant in the 171-suite building, said she is also pleased with the proposed changes to the law, noting new tenants pay higher rent than residents affected by the evacuation.

“I pay just under $1,200 per month and the new people are being asked to pay $1,800,” Lynch said.

“There are a lot of empty suites in the building right now because they jacked the rent up so much.”

On May 9, 2024, more than 250 tenants at Birchwood Terrace, at 2440 Portage Ave., were suddenly ordered out of the building when it was deemed unsafe because inspectors had determined steel support columns in the underground parkade had deteriorated.

Many of the tenants found apartments elsewhere, but dozens were put up in hotels for months. The City of Winnipeg and the Canadian Red Cross initially picked up the cost of accommodation, but the provincial government took over on June 1.

The government said it had paid more than $216,000 to support 136 residents as of Sept. 30. Last June, Premier Wab Kinew said the building’s owner, not taxpayers, should pay the costs.

Tenants were finally able to move back starting in December, after the city issued a full occupancy permit once inspectors had determined the conditions and requirements of a “mitigate unsafe condition order” had been met.

Tenants have been told that, for the first year, they will pay the same rent they were paying before the evacuation and only have to pay half the regular damage deposit. The tenants who decided to move elsewhere were given $1,000 to help with moving expenses.

A spokesperson for Ladco Co. Ltd., could not be reached for comment. Ladco owns Lakewood Agencies which manages Birchwood Terrace.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca