Heat returns to Wolseley apartment block

Heat has been restored to a Wolseley apartment building after nearly a month without a permanent heating system.

In an email sent Monday afternoon, property manager Thorwin Properties notified residents at 875 Westminster Ave. that “permanent heat has been restored” and thanked tenants for their “co-operation and patience” during the outage.

Residents and two commercial tenants — Organic Planet Worker Co-op and Prairie Sky Books — had relied on portable heaters since Jan. 4, when the building’s boiler was shut down for testing and repairs.

According to earlier emails from Thorwin, a boiler consultant assessed the system on Jan. 9, but problems persisted despite multiple repair attempts between Jan. 12 and 14. On Jan. 16, tenants were told repairs were nearly complete and heat would soon return, but further issues delayed the restoration. Thorwin later informed residents that a new boiler would be installed.

Both the province and the City of Winnipeg monitored the situation. The province previously said the Residential Tenancies Branch was prepared to take enforcement action if the landlord failed to co-operate.

City spokesperson Adam Campbell said a compliance order was issued requiring the installation of a new heating system.

An initial order required the building to meet minimum heating standards under Winnipeg’s neighbourhood livability bylaw. The city said Thorwin met that requirement through the use of temporary heaters.

Tenants had complained of temporary power outages due to increased electricity usage from the temporary heaters. Residents had been advised to limit their use of multiple high-power appliances, including TVs and additional heaters.

Rental properties are required to maintain a temperature of at least 21 C during the day (7 a.m. to 11 p.m.) and at least 18 C overnight (11 p.m. to 7 a.m.).

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca