Councillor wants landlords ticketed for lack of heat

A city councillor is asking the city to crackdown on landlords who don’t provide enough heat to their tenants.

Coun. Harvey Smith introduced a motion to Winnipeg city council Wednesday morning that would introduce a ticket system for landlords who did not keep their tenants’ suites at 21 C or higher. "

You really want adequate heat, and we have a livability bylaw with the set amount of heat that you must have," said Smith.

"If they’re not complying, they should in effect get a ticket just like you get a ticket if you’ve been caught speeding."

Smith said the idea for the motion came from stories done by CBC on cold tenants in Winnipeg. 

Smith said currently if a landlord does not maintain heat at 21 C, they can end up in court. But he said the process takes too long.

"Just like a speeding ticket amount, you know right away what you’re going to have to pay," said Smith.

"So it streamlines the procedure, and it means that landlords will be held more accountable."

The city administration is now looking into Smith’s idea.