Residents of evacuated Birchwood Terrace will get support after deadline, Manitoba premier says

Posted on June 19, 2024 by Peggy

Manitoba’s premier says the government is committed to supporting Birchwood Terrace evacuees until they find permanent housing.

The province will continue covering food and housing costs for displaced residents beyond the current June 30 deadline, Wab Kinew said Wednesday.

The building’s approximately 250 tenants were told on May 9 that they had to leave their homes after serious structural deterioration was found in steel columns of the St. James building’s parkade.

“It’s just the nature of government that we fund things in these little windows of time,” the premier said.

“I recognize that that creates some anxiety for folks, because certain deadlines get worked up that aren’t real deadlines. What I’m saying to people is that we will continue to work with you.”

A man in front of a microphne — Premier Wab Kinew says the government will support those displaced by the evacuation beyond a current deadline of June 30. (CBC)

The province took over supporting Birchwood Terrace residents after help from the Red Cross ended on June 1, as many remained in temporary housing.

The emergency evacuation order was issued after a third-party engineering inspection notified the city about the damage.

Ladco Company, which owns the apartment block’s property manager, Lakewood Agencies, said last month that a damaged column in the parkade was noticed in mid-March.

Kinew said he believes the owner should be covering some of the costs that resulted from the evacuation.

“You have a private company who’s created a situation of stress for so many people, and now it’s up to the taxpayers of Manitoba to step in. Is that fair?” he said.

“I don’t know what the specific remedy is yet. We’re going through that process of figuring out how we address this situation.”

The premier said the province is currently looking into more protections to avoid such situations in the future.