Province says safety priority following second fire death in Manitoba Housing building

Manitoba’s housing minister said Thursday the safety of residents in Manitoba Housing buildings is a priority, in response to a second fire-related death in a suite in five weeks.

“We have a zero tolerance policy for any kind of violence or criminal activity,” Bernadette Smith said.

Members of the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service found the body of a 44-year-old woman in a suite at an apartment building on the 300 block of Blake Street in Weston Sunday, Winnipeg police said in a release Wednesday.

The block is part of a large complex managed by Manitoba Housing.

A relative of Christine Flett identified her as the victim, but declined to comment further.

A man in his 30s and a woman in her 20s were seriously injured.

The fire is believed to have been accidental, the news release said.

Residents said Wednesday the building is known for drug use and related disturbances.

Robert Boubard, whose girlfriend lives in the building, said he was in the suite earlier in the day Sunday.

“I asked for a lighter and they said: ‘use the candle, it’s in the bedroom,’” he said.

He alleged drug use took place in the suite.

On April 20, Tristan Fraser-Smith was found dead in a Manitoba Housing 16-storey high-rise at 444 Kennedy St., after a fire in his unit reportedly caused an explosion and forced the evacuation of dozens of tenants.

His partner had told the Free Press he died after falling asleep while using drugs.

Smith said Manitoba Housing staff, who are responsible for roughly 12,000 units across the province, are working to boost safety in problematic buildings.

Smith acknowledged it will take time to restore all units to what she described as a “safe environment.”

She noted that removing problematic tenants can be a lengthy process because the province must work through the Residential Tenancies Branch, although she said efforts are made to move as quickly as possible.

The minister said when 444 Kennedy St. was assessed after the NDP took office in late 2023, officials found gangs had cut holes through walls to get into neighbouring suites.

She said police and the tenancies branch were involved in evictions at the building in which residents were scared to leave their suites and service providers didn’t want to work there.

“Is there more work to be done? Absolutely,” Smith said. “We have not taken our eyes off and we’re going to continue to monitor.”

Smith said measures such as installing cameras, increasing security personnel and introducing swipe-card access to shared spaces such as laundry rooms have helped reduce crime and theft in some buildings.

“Even putting in guest lists, we’ve had to go as far as that, but it’s made a real difference,” she said, adding the most troubled housing complexes are prioritized for intervention.

On Wednesday, during a walk-through of the building on Blake Street, it appeared that fire extinguishers had been taken from the building. The spaces where they would have been contained were empty and appeared to have been vandalized.

William Johnson, who has lived in the apartment for seven years, said the building has fallen into disrepair, and needles and pipes used to consume drugs are “everywhere.” The suite where the fire took place, particularly problematic.

“It’s a mess over here,” he said. “When I first started staying here, it was fine, and then all of a sudden, the problems came.”

Johnson said he and his wife have done their best to alert both the housing authority and the police about issues at the apartment, but said to his knowledge, nothing was ever done.

“You call security, they don’t do nothing. You call the police, they don’t do nothing. They come when they want to.”

He said the death is not surprising given the current conditions at the complex.

‘It was bound to happen,” he said.

The woman killed in Sunday’s fire is one of at least eight fire-related deaths in Winnipeg this year.

Data from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner indicated so far there have been five deaths of an accidental or undetermined manner – on pace to surpass a 10 year high of 10 logged in 2024 – and three others where charges were laid by police.

The minister reiterated that people moved from encampments through the province’s Your Way Home strategy are not housed in Manitoba Housing complexes that are designated for seniors.

—With files from Scott Billeck

morgan.modjeski@freepress.mb.ca