The number of violations of fire prevention bylaws in Winnipeg’s 140 rooming houses jumped by more than 20 per cent in just one year, a city report says.
Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service inspectors found the number of infractions jumped to 489 in 2023 from 396 in 2022, shows a document prepared for next week’s meeting of the community services committee.
Inspectors found 68 residences in which the fire alarm system had to be fixed or needed to be tested annually; 45 smoke alarms which needed to be installed or replaced, 45 furnaces which had not received an annual inspection, 20 dryer ducts which hadn’t been inspected or cleaned out, and 12 extension cords being used instead of permanent wiring being installed.
JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES
United Firefighters of Winnipeg president Tom Bilous said the numbers are concerning.
“These numbers are quite concerning,” said Tom Bilous, president of the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg, on Tuesday.
“We already have an inherently dangerous job. If these are fixed, great, but if not it not only puts citizens at risk, but also firefighters.”
Bilous said a non-functioning alarm system puts residents at greater risk because they aren’t alerted to the fire, and the blaze can be allowed to get out of control before firefighters arrive to put it out, increasing their risk.
He said even an extension cord can be “a double hazard” when a blaze breaks out and firefighters go in.
“They are often under more load than they are made for and, after they have started a fire, firefighters go in and become entangled by them and then there are mayday calls.”
Bilous said it is up to owners of rooming houses to ensure they comply with fire prevention bylaws.
“Landlords need to do their jobs. We don’t need any more risk.”
Coun. Vivian Santos, the committee chairwoman, said city council requested, and has been receiving, annual reports on rooming house inspections since 2016.
“It is so good that we have this data in front of us and can compare notes from previous years… they show they are continuing to have some issues, the fire alarms and the laundry and things like that,” said Santos.
“As long as we continue to stay on top of it with the fire paramedics, I think we can deal with some of these ongoing issues because, ultimately, the people living in them, our No. 1 priority is to make sure they are in a safe environment.”
Coun. Janice Lukes said she isn’t surprised by the jump in infractions.
A decade ago, she fought for the inspections and annual reports to be produced after noticing a spike in the number of rooming houses in neighbourhoods near the University of Manitoba.
“There are more rooming houses so, with that increase, there will be an increase in violations,” she said.
An official with the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service was unavailable for comment, but civic spokesman Kalen Qually said, “the number of complaints can differ year to year, so there’s no real concern regarding the slightly raised number of complaints.”
“Some are valid and some may be due to conflicts involving a tenant or owner. Now that the city is focused on annual inspections of all converted residential dwellings, the idea is that staff can eliminate many of these complaints by having inspectors recognize and resolve issues early before becoming a major concern.”
As for her ward, Lukes said many landlords sold their rooming houses near U of M because fewer international students were allowed in to Canada during the pandemic and more apartments have been built.
“A lot of students share the apartment, to make it affordable, and it is safe and there are no fire hazards,” she said. “It’s not like in rooming houses.”
kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Kevin Rollason
Reporter
Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press’s city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin.
Every piece of reporting Kevin produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.