Rubble cleanup of destroyed West End apartment could face further delays over insurance dispute

Efforts to remove a pile of rubble in the West End where an apartment building once stood could face further delays.

Last month, the City of Winnipeg issued an order to clean up the site at 694 Sherbrook St., which was destroyed by a fire that broke out on Feb. 14, 2022, and burned into the next day.

After the fire, the city declared the building unsafe and although it was demolished, the pile of rubble remained behind a fence while people in the area have complained that it is a blight on the neighbourhood and a safety hazard. 

City chief building inspector James Cameron ordered the property owners, including several numbered companies, to finish the cleanup of the site by Feb. 15 — a full year after the fire. 

"Specifically, as a result of fire, the building has been demolished and the remains of the building's structure has been left on the property," the letter dated Dec. 12 states.

"This deems the property a hazard to people and animals in/around/adjacent to the property and/or risk to possible future occurrences of arson."

In a notice of appeal on Dec. 21, however, a lawyer for Access Credit Union, which holds a mortgage on the property, said it is negotiating with an insurance company over the costs.

"The insurance company has questioned whether they will provide coverage to the property," lawyer Douglas Grantham wrote in the letter.

Grantham goes on to say they expect the problem "will be resolved in the very near future and then the cleanup of this property will proceed."

In the meantime, the building is "simply a pile of bricks and cement which are not in fear of collapse. The property is completely fenced in with no means of access permitted," Grantham wrote.

Rubble poses safety hazard: councillor

Daniel McIntyre Coun. Cindy Gilroy, who represents the area, didn't accept that argument on Wednesday.

"It is unsightly for the neighbourhood, but not only that, it is a safety issue when things are gated up, and there's that much debris around there," she said.

"There's lots of times rodents that live within that debris, and that can become a health and safety hazard. So we just really need to get that cleaned up."

Gilroy has brought forward a number of motions she hopes will speed up the process and discourage property owners from allowing their buildings to remain derelict. 

The community services committee passed a motion on Wednesday that would ask the province to pass a law allowing it to add fines for derelict properties to property tax bills.

A spokesperson for Municipal Affairs Minister Eileen Clarke told CBC News the city might already have the power it needs to do that.

"The City of Winnipeg already has authority to add many amounts owed to the City to property tax bills under The City of Winnipeg Charter," the spokesperson wrote in an email statement.

"This already includes the ability to add fines for any contraventions of Winnipeg's bylaws to property taxes under clause 175(d)(ii) of the Charter. Manitoba is also open to reviewing any specific requests from the City of Winnipeg or any other municipality once they have been made."

The city's legal department is currently reviewing what it is allowed to do, Gilroy said.

Another motion working its way through council would look at allowing the city to grant demolition permits without a public hearing.

A hearing on the appeal of the clean-up order is set for next Monday.

Rubble cleanup could face further delays

2 years ago

Duration 1:52

Efforts to remove a pile of rubble in the West End where an apartment building once stood could face further delays. After the fire, the city declared the building unsafe and although it was demolished, the pile of rubble remained behind a fence while people in the area have complained that it is a blight on the neighbourhood and a safety hazard.