A Winnipegger is urging quick action to address problem vacant buildings after a former commercial structure at 366 Church Ave. caught fire, a danger others say has become far too common.
Josyf Mudryj said he complained multiple times to his city councillor and 311 that the Church Avenue structure had attracted repeated break-ins and dumping prior to the fire.
“My main concern is the safety in the area and property values. There’s a lot of young families around, with schools nearby. It’s been an eyesore and now it’s even worse because it’s all charred in places,” said Mudryj.
JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS
A neighbour complained multiple times to the City of Winnipeg that the structure at 366 Church Ave. had attracted repeated break-ins and dumping prior to catching fire in November.
He believes the property hasn’t served as more than a storage facility in over a decade.
At 4:49 a.m. on Nov. 19, firefighters were called to the Church Avenue building to battle a blaze, where no injuries were reported, Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service informed the media in a news release.
“The fire caused significant damage to the building, and it is expected to be a total loss,” the release stated.
When asked about the possibility of demolishing the structure, the city confirmed it has ordered the property owner to remediate the site, noting that process can take “several months.”
“Each situation is unique when looking at the timeline for demolition of a vacant building that’s been damaged by a fire,” wrote spokesman Kalen Qually, in an email.
Qually noted the city can clean up a property “as a final resort” if a property owner isn’t responsive, then add the cost to the property tax bill.
Mudryj said he’d love to see the charred structure replaced with a home.
“There’s a need of homes for newcomers, young families in the city. For these properties to be sitting idly vacant, let alone burned, it’s not only an eyesore but it takes away from areas that could be developed with infill housing,” he said.
On Tuesday, the building featured a series of charred holes near its roof and some material was peeling away from its side.
City officials are monitoring 684 properties under Winnipeg’s vacant buildings bylaw, including 526 residential and 158 commercial spots, Qually confirmed.
Coun. Ross Eadie, whose Mynarski ward includes the Church Avenue site, said the structure exemplifies a wider problem.
“It’s not like the public service doesn’t know it’s a high risk. They’re doing what they can with the resources they have… There’s 700 of these (properties),” said Eadie. “We have been taking action but we’re not getting at the underlying problem because these (properties) keep racking up.”
The councillor said he supports efforts to speed up the process to take over derelict buildings, so the city can clean them up when owners can’t or won’t.
“It’s just not going fast enough… We have to have some provincial legislation that allows us to go in, not just at tax sale,” said Eadie.
The city’s multi-year tax sale process lets the city take ownership of a home once property taxes have been unpaid for a long time.
During a property and development committee meeting on Monday, deputy chief administrative officer Moira Geer said 63 demolitions of problem properties have been completed this year, including some finished by property owners.
“The city is really working hard to address this issue and I really commend all of the public (servants) that have been working on this problem. It doesn’t go unnoticed in the community,” said Geer.
She noted a new committee is working with city officials and external stakeholders to determine a new action plan.
“I think we just continue to progress… by bringing the whole community together,” said Geer.
Some residents are calling for additional action.
Darrell Warren, president of the William Whyte Neighbourhood Association, said he supports many city steps to secure and repair vacant homes. However, Warren is urging city council to seek provincial help to fund grants that encourage property owners to fix up empty buildings.
“They could be fixed up to the point that they’re livable houses again… Instead, we’re losing them to fires,” said Warren.
He noted there were multiple fires at vacant properties in William Whyte just last weekend, including blazes on Burrows Avenue, Aberdeen Avenue, and Powers Street.
“The properties in question… two of those properties were (not previously) identified by us as being a problem property and now they’ve become (a concern)… We really have to address the boarded-up derelict houses,” said Warren.
He said the recent fire in the 300 block of Burrows Avenue is especially frustrating because that home was recently sold, raising hope it would be fixed up.
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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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