Summary: Rental Housing Community Update on September 30, 2015 & NEXT STEPS

RECAP on filing a complaint and requesting service for rental housing/property issues

• PLEASE NOTE:  As the system is currently complaint-based, you must file a report with Winnipeg’s 311 Service Centre. This is a very important step as the City of Winnipeg is tracking the number of calls and collecting information to help us understand the extent of the rental housing problem.
• Phone 311 or E-mail 311@winnipeg.ca. 

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR QUESTIONS ON RENTAL HOUSING

University of Manitoba

• Off Campus Housing Coordinator:  Heather Beckstead
  • Phone (204) 474-7194    E-Mail: Heather.Beckstead@umanitoba.ca
  • Heather monitors the web page, reviews requests to post rental properties, posts rental ads, etc. on the U of M’s Off Campus Housing webpage  (https://och.cc.umanitoba.ca/)
• Director of Government and Community Engagement:  Tyler MacAfee
  • Phone (204) 474-8157    E-Mail:  Tyler.Macafee@umanitoba.ca
  • Tyler can provide information on the U of M’s student housing strategy

City of Winnipeg By-Law Enforcement:  Winston Yee, Manager 

• Phone (204) 805-2787    E-Mail: wyee@Winnipeg.ca
• Winston manages by-law enforcement and can answer questions on process and specific matters.

NOTE: Additional contact information for a wide variety of organizations involved with rental housing are available in Councillor Lukes’ powerpoint rental housing presentation located below.

 

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SUMMARY OF SEPTEMBER 30, 2015 MEETING

 

Agenda September 30 2015

 

POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS:

• Councillor Lukes:   Rental Housing Presentation
• University of Manitoba: U of M Update on Student Housing
• City of Winnipeg: Zoning and By-Law Enforcement

 

REPORTS REFERENCED AT THE MEETING:

Councillor Lukes:

• Community feedback from January 31, 2015 meeting: Summary Report with Graphs
• How other communities are responding to similar situations: Scan of community initiatives for best practices in rental housing

City of Winnipeg:

• Simplified by-laws for student housing, boarders, rooming houses: A broad overview of the City’s approach to occupancies
• Simplified by-laws for maintenance standards of residential properties: A guide for property owners, landlords and tenants
• General info on ALL zoning and by-laws: Planning, Property and Development Department
• Process to investigate/enforce complaints: 311 Complaint Process
• Public Service analysis/recommendations on how to address the situation: Student Housing Report June 26, 2015

University of Manitoba:

• University of Manitoba enrolment plans: U of M Strategic Enrolment Management Planning Framework 2013-2018
• Southwood Lands/U of M’s Campus Master Plan over the next 25 years:  Visionary (re) Generation

Winnipeg Realtors Association & Province of Manitoba:

• Report prepared by Winnipeg Realtors Association task force:  Manitoba’s Housing Rental Shortage (March, 2011)
• In follow up to the above report, the Rental Housing Supply Roundtable was established.  Co-chaired by the Provincial Minister of Housing & Community Development and the Winnipeg Realtors Association, the Roundtable identified potential tools/solutions to address a critical shortage of rental housing in Manitoba. See Co-operation is Solution to the Crisis and the Report of the Rental Housing Supply Roundtable (October, 2012)

 

NEXT STEPS

We are not alone – communities all over the world have experienced similar situations in neighbourhoods surrounding universities, and have worked to find solutions. There are many examples of best practices that we can study and adapt for our own community.

I am in the process of establishing two separate organizations:

1. Rental Housing Task Force: Consisting of stakeholder representatives from organizations such as the Winnipeg Realtors Association, City of Winnipeg, U of M Students Union, Residents Rental Housing Association, etc.   Tyler MacAfee from the University of Manitoba has agreed to co-chair this Task Force.
2. Residents’ Rental Housing Association: Consisting of area residents, landlords and tenants. If you are interested in taking an engaged, active, and positive leadership role on tackling the rental housing issue in our community, please see Invitation from Councillor Janice Lukes. We will be meeting in early November, 2015.  I will contact interested people later with specific details.

 

Thank you,
Councillor Janice Lukes

 

    

 

    

 

Twitter short link:  https://janicelukes.ca/?p=3261