Would-be mayors respond to extreme heat

With Winnipeg in the midst of an intense heat wave, the city has yet to introduce maximum heat legislation for rental housing.

In 2023, the Free Press and the Narwhal reported on calls by tenants and environmental advocates to enact a law that would require indoor temperatures in rental units not exceed 26 C. It would be similar to how Winnipeg landlords, under the city’s neighbourhood livability bylaw, must maintain a minimum daytime temperature of 21 C during cold weather.

On Sunday, the Free Press emailed all nine registered mayoral candidates asking for their policy plans to tackle the dangers of extreme heat, and specifically, whether they would support a change to the city’s bylaw to create heat protections for renters.

Eight candidates responded, and of them, six — Noah Redden, Don Woodstock, Mazher Alam, Christopher Clacio, Michael Vogiatzakis and Umar Hayat — said they would support (or support exploring) a bylaw amendment to establish a maximum indoor temperature threshold.

“As Mayor Gillingham cuts funding to community pools and tree coverage, residents of our city are faced with fewer options for surviving intense heat warnings. Passing a rental-unit maximum temperature by-law and enforcing compliance will go a long way in allowing residents to survive future extreme heat events,” wrote Redden.

Joshua Pagdato, a candidate who has focused on homelessness, spent Saturday walking the streets of downtown Winnipeg, and in an email wrote, “because of the heat yesterday, our city services were extremely busy. It felt like it was a warzone for them.”

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Other policy ideas from candidates included:

Mazher Alam: “I want the city government to launch an ambitious “million trees” initiative. Expanding our urban canopy is one of the most effective ways to break up urban heat islands, lower ambient neighborhood temperatures, and improve overall livability.”

Don Woodstock: “A central pillar of my campaign is about keeping our community recreation spaces, pools, and facilities open, accessible, and free of charge for everyone. We have seen too many of these vital spaces close or reduce services recently, such as the Happyland pool, and my goal is to reverse that trend.”

Umar Hayat: “My platform would prioritize expanding access to cooling centres during heat waves;” “improving emergency outreach to seniors and vulnerable residents during extreme heat events;” and “encouraging energy-efficiency upgrades and cooling improvements in older residential buildings where feasible.”

marsha.mcleod@freepress.mb.ca

Marsha McLeod
Investigative reporter Signal

Marsha is an investigative reporter. She joined the Free Press in 2023.

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