Derelict buildings, Goldeyes and safe spaces

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This article was published 22/06/2023 (847 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Derelict building crackdown approved

New measures to crack down on vacant and derelict buildings are on the way.

On Thursday, city council cast a final vote to approve changes to deal with 700 vacant buildings throughout Winnipeg, which neighbours say attract squatting, arson and other crimes.

The city changes will impose higher security standards for buildings that have been repeatedly set on fire or used by squatters, add four more bylaw enforcement officers to ensure additional inspections, streamline the residential demolition permit process and charge some property owners inspection fees.

City officials will also begin listing “non-compliant and problematic” vacant buildings (those deemed to be breaking the rules) on the city’s open data portal.

Council approves Goldeyes lease deal

The City of Winnipeg appears to have finally struck a lease deal for the Winnipeg Goldeyes stadium.

On Thursday, city council voted to approve amendments that will complete the lease, tweaks to a deal that was thought to be final in 2020.

The changes ensure the lease holder will remain as Riverside Park Management, the non-profit entity of the Winnipeg Goldeyes Baseball Club. The team said that was needed to ensure the organization could secure provincial grants.

Other changes will adjust the final year’s rent payments to December 2038, instead of July 2038, and refine the amount of parking that could be lost due to future rapid transit.

The 15-year agreement still includes rent payments of $25,000 for the first five years, $50,000 for the next five and $75,000 for the final five. The Goldeyes also secured annual grants to offset the ballpark’s entertainment tax and the municipal portion of property taxes until Dec. 31, 2038.

Then-mayor Brian Bowman rejected that deal, arguing the team should have shared more financial information to justify the taxpayer-funded subsidy.

Safe space and housing plan approved

The city will devote $1 million to create 24-7 safe spaces and fund projects that help unhoused Winnipeggers move out of bus shelters.

Council approved the plan to increase city grants for Ka Ni Kanichihk’s Velma’s House and West End 24-Hour Safe Space (run by the Spence Neighbourhood Association), while also funding new safe spaces in the North End and St. Boniface.

Funding is also available for pilot projects that help unhoused people move from Winnipeg Transit bus shelters to 24-hour safe spaces and improve data collection on homelessness.

The city will prepare an alert system to warn the public about extreme hot or cold weather.

Transit garage site selected

The city has chosen a site for its Winnipeg Transit north garage.

On Thursday, council approved a proposal to expropriate land south of Selkirk Avenue and west of Oak Point Highway, which does not have a civic address.

That would provide part of the property required for the $200-million garage replacement project, to be combined with city-owned land near Oak Point Highway and land the municipality will buy at 100 Oak Point Hwy.

The City of Winnipeg says both private properties were listed for sale in 2022, but it couldn’t secure a purchase for one of them.

The report notes the project has received provincial and federal funding, which is tied to an expected completion date of March 31, 2027.