Winnipeg’s Call for Provincial Action on Vacant Buildings Intensifies

The City of Winnipeg has released a comprehensive review aimed at addressing the growing issue of vacant and derelict homes. This initiative comes as city officials respond to an alarming rise in vacant properties, which have been linked to increased crime and safety concerns in neighborhoods like William Whyte. The report outlines various recommendations, including partnerships with Manitoba Housing, revisions to tax-sale timelines, and a renewed effort to utilize the city’s authority to take ownership of properties from non-compliant owners without compensation.

Despite the ambitious nature of the plan, many experts argue it does not go far enough. The core issue remains clear: Winnipeg is home to hundreds of properties that have languished vacant for years. Some owners are unable to afford necessary repairs, while others are investors who comply minimally with existing regulations. These owners often keep their properties boarded up, avoiding enforcement actions by paying taxes and fees, while waiting for property values to rise.

The report highlights the dangers posed by these vacant buildings, which attract crime, arson, and trespassing. They depress property values and strain emergency services, ultimately destabilizing entire communities. Yet, according to the report, the city’s current tools for addressing these problems are largely reactive. Officials are unable to prohibit vacant properties outright or enforce limits on how long a building can remain unoccupied.

The process for taking title of a property without compensation is limited to cases where the owner has already been convicted of violating city bylaws. Even then, owners are often given multiple opportunities to rectify their violations, allowing negligent landlords to evade more stringent consequences. The proposed restructured vacant-building fee, which would escalate from one percent to five percent of the assessed property value over five years, is unlikely to deter the most chronic offenders. Many treat such fees as merely a cost of doing business.

Significantly, the report indicates that the city cannot enact a bylaw to prohibit long-term vacancies due to provincial legal constraints. This limitation raises critical questions about the need for provincial legislative reform. The city requires a more robust framework that empowers municipalities to impose enforceable limits on property vacancies—potentially setting a maximum period of five to seven years.

Data within the report reveals a troubling trend: the number of vacant buildings under enforcement has surged by 45 percent in less than four years, increasing from 543 in 2021 to 788 today. The neighborhoods most affected are frequently those already facing economic challenges, highlighting a pattern of capital flight and community abandonment.

While the city’s initiatives—such as forming partnerships to create more affordable housing and improving the use of title-taking powers—are steps in the right direction, they fail to address the persistent challenge posed by landlords who keep properties vacant indefinitely. The current system allows these individuals to maintain compliance while letting properties deteriorate, contributing to broader community decline.

As the report indicates, Winnipeg’s strategies are well-researched and thoughtful, but they fall short of the necessary reforms. The province must take action to empower the city, allowing it to compel property owners to act when homes remain vacant for too long. Without such legislative changes, the cycle of vacancy and decay is likely to continue, resulting in more abandoned buildings and ongoing community struggles.

The urgency of this situation cannot be overstated. Unless provincial leaders act decisively, the city may find itself revisiting these same issues in the coming years, facing even greater challenges with vacant properties and their associated consequences.