Legislation needed on vacant buildings
There is something deeply backwards about a system that lets a property owner keep a building boarded up indefinitely while neighbours are left to live with the consequences. In Winnipeg, […]
In Winnipeg, vacant and boarded-up buildings persist despite owners paying taxes and fees, creating neighbourhood eyesores, attracting crime, and posing fire hazards to nearby residents. Premier Wab Kinew was asked about imposing a time limit on such properties but declined to comment, citing the timing of a municipal election. Residents on Furby Street, however, report a boarded-up house attracting drug use, theft, and a recent fire, threatening their safety.
The province has not provided the city with an effective mechanism to force owners to address these concerns, allowing properties to remain vacant indefinitely as long as regulations are followed and bills are paid. A change in provincial legislation could set a maximum period for vacant buildings before the city can seize them without compensation, offering a solution to the current issue.
Written by urgent.news from Winnipeg Free Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.