City working to reduce number of vacant buildings but can do more, mayor says

After several blazes ripped through vacant homes earlier this week, Winnipeg’s mayor is highlighting efforts to seize dozens of empty properties and reduce that risk.

The city has started the process to seize 48 properties through a “taking title without compensation process” since mid-December.

That’s when city council called on staff to use the process more often.

“I think there’s more we can do, and I want to see us use this tool of taking title more frequently,” said Mayor Scott Gillingham.

To begin the process, a property owner must be convicted in provincial court of contravening the city’s vacant buildings bylaw. Following a conviction, the city offers a minimum of 90 additional days to allow owners to bring their property into compliance. After that point, the city can complete final steps to take a title.

The entire process typically takes about six months to a year after a conviction, city spokesman Kalen Qually said in an emailed statement.

While the city has yet to take the title of any of the 48 properties, just starting the seizure process could motivate some owners, Gillingham said.

“It may be that during the process, the property owner brings their property into compliance with the city requirements, and that also would be a win. We want these properties to be, ultimately, developed into housing,” he said.

As of Thursday, the city is enforcing its vacant building bylaw at 765 properties, including 600 residential buildings, said Qually.

The enforcement is one of several measures the city is taking to reduce the risks of vacant buildings and the fires they can attract, the mayor said.

In 2025, the city also conducted 12,000 inspections to enforce safety standards at vacant buildings and ensure they were secured, while 482 properties were boarded up by bylaw enforcement officers that year, said Gillingham.

“It’s a combination of incentives and penalties to try to get property owners with vacant and derelict properties into compliance,” he said.

The update comes after firefighters rushed to battle blazes at six vacant buildings in just three hours, beginning just after midnight Tuesday.

Earlier this week, Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service told reporters that sudden, intense demand put a “huge strain” on the system, with some fires burning simultaneously.

A community leader who has long called for action to reduce the number of vacant buildings and help prevent fires, welcomed the increased enforcement.

“It’s a big step forward because there really wasn’t any or much enforcement before and now it’s good to see (the city) actually using the tools they have… I still think we need to go ahead with getting (more) derelict properties cleaned up,” said Darrell Warren, president of the William Whyte Neighbourhood Association.

Two of the six fires crews battled in quick succession Tuesday were in William Whyte, including one in the 200 block of Powers Street. That structure is one of three empty homes damaged by a combined 12 fires over the past four years, said Warren.

He estimates there are more than 200 vacant and derelict properties in his area alone.

“We’re in a housing crunch here and there’s a lot of opportunity to build on these lots and go ahead and turn them into viable properties again. It’s a citywide problem and we need to go ahead and address it,” said Warren.

He urged people with security cameras who live near fire-damaged properties to review their recordings and report anything that could help police determine the cause of the blazes.

The city declined to state the location of any of the properties it could seize.

“Due to the legal process, and until the matters are resolved, we’re not able to provide any details on these properties,” wrote Qually.

While the city has not seized a property by taking title without compensation since 2017, it has used a separate process to acquire 111 properties due to unpaid taxes between 2020 and 2025, he noted.

In December, city council also reduced the time required for that “tax sale” process. The city can now begin action when someone fails to pay taxes for two years, down from three. The process currently takes about three more years to complete.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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