The City of Winnipeg hopes to determine if it could wipe lots clean of rubble immediately after demolishing fire-ravaged buildings.
Some neighbourhoods have been plagued with a growing number of rubble-filled lots that can fester in place for months or years, sparking calls for the city to find ways to speed up the cleanup.
While Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service already has the power to carry out emergency demolitions of properties left structurally unsound by fire, the city will aim to find out if provincial rules could change to let crews clear the lots of all debris at the same time, said Moira Geer, the city’s deputy chief administrative officer.
Cheryl Martens photo
A pile of rubble at 695 Furby St.
“Right now, legislation doesn’t allow that, under the emergency act… (but) can we just do it one and done? So, the fire… (and) that rubble pile could maybe be dealt with right away?” Geer said during a property and development committee meeting Thursday.
City officials have not formally asked the province for the change yet, but it’s one of many ideas they will raise as the two governments discuss ways to combat a growing number of derelict homes and rubble piles, Geer told the Free Press.
“It’s the city and the province sitting down together and saying this is an issue (and figuring out) what can we both do within our powers to improve the situation,” she said.
Kelly Happychuk, chief of enforcement services for the city’s property and development department, said current rules allow the city to tear down only at-risk buildings, such as those determined to be structurally unsafe and at risk of collapse.
“During the emergency, they can do whatever they need to do to remove that emergency. And once the emergency (need) is met and the risk isn’t as high, then it falls back to the property owner to be responsible for their property,” said Happychuk told the Free Press.
The idea to speed up rubble removal comes after mounting complaints from residents over charred remains of fire-ravaged homes and businesses.
One who lobbied the city to tackle the issue said she’d love to see debris cleanup happen at the same time as an emergency demolition.
“That would be wonderful. They say it’s not an emergency, but they’re leaving a pile of rubble in a neighbourhood,” said Cheryl Martens, who lives in the Spence neighbourhood
”They’re even leaving all the asbestos. How is that safe for our neighbourhood?”
Martens and her neighbours have counted about 60 vacant lots in their area, plus seven filled with rubble.
She said reducing the amount of time residents are forced to live close to lots full of debris would make a massive difference.
“It’s discouraging and demoralizing and depressing to walk by a pile of rubble for over a year with nothing happening, she said. “It makes you feel like nobody cares about your neighbourhood.”
Property and development chair Coun. Sherri Rollins said she supports efforts to speed up site-clearing but stressed that any changes must put safety first.
“I’m glad (the city is) talking to the province about the safety implications because… it’s easier said than done,” said Rollins (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry).
“When they’re going in to (demolish) for a fire, it’s really different than demolishing to, basically, the grass and disposing (of the materials).”
She noted some lot cleanups have been delayed due to the risk of asbestos in older buildings, which sometimes leads the province to issue stop-work orders until a removal plan is approved.
Breathing in asbestos fibres can cause lung cancer, lung scarring and other diseases, according to Health Canada.
Meanwhile, Happychuk told the property and development committee he is seeking changes to speed up enforcement efforts following fires, which should produce additional options to address the issue in the next month or two.
On Thursday, the committee heard a report that found it would not be financially feasible for the city to add enough staff and equipment to routinely perform demolitions and site cleaning, noting local contractors are already available for that work. The committee took no immediate action on the file but expects an update in December.
joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca
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Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter
Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.
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