Proposed city bylaw targets illegal secondary suites

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/05/2020 (1822 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Steinbach city council took its first step this week toward cracking down on an unknown number of illegal, and potentially unsafe, secondary suites scattered throughout the city.

City manager Troy Warkentin and city planner Lacey Gaudet presented council with a report on dwelling safety standards during a Tuesday committee meeting.

The report estimates there are between 300 and 600 secondary suites in Steinbach. An unknown percentage of them fail to comply with fire and building codes and zoning bylaws.

Gaudet said the city discovers non-compliant secondary suites “on a weekly basis” by consulting Canada Post, real estate agents, and property listings.

But without a comprehensive monitoring and compliance program, Gaudet said it’s difficult for administrators to ensure the city’s housing stock is uniformly safe. Under the existing system, an inspector can be denied entry to a non-compliant secondary suite.

The report presented to council stated “the number of illegal suites in Steinbach is increasing,” despite ongoing efforts to educate landlords about their obligations.

Gaudet said some landlords aren’t aware of their responsibilities, while others deliberately skirt the rules.

She and Warkentin urged council to create a bylaw governing dwelling safety standards, a move they said is catching on in other small cities like Dauphin and Yorkton, Sask.

Council agreed, and will bring the bylaw to first reading this summer.

A draft version of the bylaw proposes minimum “life safety requirements” for all secondary suites, namely smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, and windows and doors that meet building code requirements meant to ensure swift egress in an emergency.

Property owners who fail to remedy safety violations within 30 days of an inspection could be fined up to $1,000. Inspections would be carried out by the city’s fire chief.

Secondary suites built after 2010 must comply with the Manitoba building code. Those constructed before 2010 would only have to install the life safety upgrades, which Gaudet estimated would cost $3,000 to $4,000.

“That’s a huge expense,” remarked Councillor Jake Hiebert.

Gaudet called the requirements “attainable” and unlikely to lead to the decommissioning of many secondary suites.

“If they’re not safe, then they shouldn’t be in existence,” she noted.

Councillor Jac Siemens observed that implementing a dwelling safety standards bylaw could force some tenants to look for another rental unit in a city with consistently low vacancy rates.

The report noted tenants are often reluctant to report safety concerns to the city due to the challenge of finding another place to live.

“Secondary suites are affordable housing for a lot of people, and we’re hoping that they stay that way. However, they need to be safe,” Gaudet replied.

Questioned by Councillor Michael Zwaagstra, Warkentin conceded the city “could potentially face liability” if a tragedy occurs in a secondary suite that was inspected and allowed to remain non-compliant.

Mayor Earl Funk said he supported the move toward enforcement in the name of safety.

“It might take a while to crack down on everything,” he said.

Gaudet said an awareness campaign would accompany the bylaw’s rollout.