Winnipeg, July 5, 2010 – Committed to cracking down on buildings that are sitting empty, boarded up or are extremely run-down, the City of Winnipeg is proposing a plan aimed at strengthening enforcement and eliminating red tape to deal with the problem more quickly and efficiently.

"I am pleased we are taking this critical neighbourhood livability issue very seriously and have developed a strategy to combat the problem," said Mayor Sam Katz. "I am very supportive of the need to get tough with property owners who are not complying with City bylaws to increase safety and eliminate unsightly buildings that are an eyesore in the community."

The nine-point strategy will be presented to the Standing Policy Committee on Property and Development tomorrow (July 6). It targets vacant and dilapidated residential and commercial buildings, and is based on the following principles:

• Vacant buildings should be well maintained to reduce safety hazards for fire fighters (such as gaping holes in floors, or broken steps)
• Proactive measures to reduce urban blight, risk of fire, and illegal activity
• Boarding up of buildings should be discouraged
• Fees should be used to achieve these objectives and to recover the costs to the City.

The proposed nine-point strategy includes the following:

• More assertive action on boarded buildings
• Direct remediation actions
• Enhanced routine inspections of vacant residential buildings
• Introduction of No-Occupancy Orders and Occupancy Certificate requirements for residential buildings
• New and increased fees towards cost recovery based on the premise that owners who comply with property standards should not subsidize those that do not.
• Shortened Taking Title Without Compensation process
• More consistent and aggressive approach to prosecution
• Continued community consultation
• Performance Measurement Plan

In order to implement key elements of the strategy, the City is proposing a new Vacant Buildings By-Law.

"The changes we are proposing are extensive, and it makes sense to recommend a completely new by-law than try to amend the existing by-law," said Clive Wightman, Director of Community Services.

The proposed new Vacant Buildings by-law will:

• Reduce the maximum time for boarding vacant residential buildings to one year (rather than 3, six-month permits within a 5-year period);
• Authorize the designated employee to exempt a legitimate construction or renovation project from the boarded building permit for up to one year;
• Authorize a refund of 75% of the increased permit costs if the boards are removed and the building is brought into compliance;
• Apply a $1,000 penalty if the owner fails to take out a boarded building permit;
• Allow enforcement officials to issue "no occupancy" orders if a vacant building is not fit for human occupation;
• Require occupancy certificates before re-occupancy for boarded buildings or buildings that have been issued a "no occupancy" order;
• Amend the boarding requirements to make them more practical; and
• Rooming houses will be treated as residential buildings so that more restrictive boarding requirements will apply to them.

"By working collaboratively, our two departments have identified what we believe are the components we need in place to significantly decrease the number of these problem buildings going forward," said Deepak Joshi, Director of Planning, Property and Development.

As of June 4, 2010, the City had identified 614 vacant buildings. Of these, 476 (78%) are classified as residential (single-family dwellings or duplexes) while 138 (22%) are classified as commercial (retail, industrial, apartment blocks and multi-family dwellings).