Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 1, 2024, Winnipeg, Manitoba Centre Street West 55+ Development By Falki Developments 199 Center Avenue West, Gimli Manitoba Available September 1, 2024 Monthly Rate: $ 2200 plus utilities OPEN HOUSE Saturday August 3rd - 1pm to 4pm • 1160 sq ft living space with fi nished 280 sq ft garage • Spacious 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom fl oor plans • Attached garage with direct access to your home • In-fl oor radiant heating for year-round comfort • Covered back patio and relaxing outdoor space • No condo fees or unexpected, additional expenses • Snow removal / Grass cutting included • Wheel Chair Accessible • In-suite Laundry • Quartz Counter-tops • Stainless Steel Appliances • 24/7 security surveillance • Long-term leases • 30 Units available for lease Contact: info@falkidevelopments.com | Tel: 204-407-6030 THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2024 A4 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM NEWS I TOP NEWS ‘Absolutely’ worth going: Smith M ANITOBA’S housing, addic- tions and homelessness min- ister is declaring last week’s trip to Houston a success after the province sent the 26-person delega- tion to Texas to learn about the re- nowned “Houston model” approach to homelessness. But a Winnipeg professor is ques- tioning why it was necessary to send so many people, why Houston’s model is deemed the best, and why Manitoba doesn’t start doing more with the sys- tems and resources it already has at home. “We have the pieces here, so if it’s not working, then that needs to be solved locally, not going somewhere else,” said Shauna MacKinnon, a pro- fessor in the department of urban and inner city studies at the University of Winnipeg. “It’s just baffling to under- stand what it is that they think they are going to learn in Houston.” In a phone interview, Manitoba Housing, Addictions and Homeless- ness Minister Bernadette Smith de- fended the trip, saying it was “abso- lutely” worth going. “We all came to Houston with vary- ing degrees of understanding, we all learned from the Houston model and we focused on the elements that will be beneficial to incorporating into our made-in-Manitoba approach,” Smith said. The Houston model is often hailed as the gold standard in addressing homelessness after it resulted in hous- ing tens of thousands of vulnerable residents over the past decade and cut its homeless population by more than 60 per cent. The model focuses on collaboration, with groups including community outreach organizations, the private sector, charities and others, work- ing together to house people who are chronically homeless. One agency, called the Coalition for the Home- less, serves as the central overseer, tasked with distributing funding and ensuring all groups are sharing data and working toward the same goals — getting people who are homeless into permanent housing, not shelters, with supports. Smith said it was valuable for rep- resentatives and stakeholders from across Manitoba to come together and brainstorm how a similar model could be deployed here. The delegation in- cluded the mayors of Thompson and Brandon, representatives from the Manitoba Métis Federation, groups including Main Street Project and End Homelessness Winnipeg, as well as Mark Chipman from True North Sports and Entertainment and Greg Burnett from the Downtown Com- munity Safety Partnership. (Winni- peg Mayor Scott Gillingham made a separate trip to Houston in Septem- ber.) While MacKinnon says collabora- tion is key, she says groups here are already doing great work. She cau- tions against adopting other aspects of Houston’s model. For one, the Texas city is too reliant on working with private landlords, she said, while she would like Mani- toba to focus on not-for-profit housing that is actually affordable to those who need it. Houston also has higher vacancy rates than cities like Winni- peg, she adds. And if there’s a need to assign one group to oversee collaboration, Mc- Kinnon suggests End Homelessness Winnipeg could serve in this role locally. The non-profit organization’s mandate is to provide leadership on initiatives to end homelessness in Winnipeg. Smith isn’t ruling something like that out. “As we come back and start to un- pack where organizations’ strengths are, that’s a conversation we’ll be having,” she said. “The Coalition (for the Homeless) in Houston is like the air traffic controller — we need some- thing like that here, too.” Meanwhile, recent incidents have highlighted divisions in how Winni- peg groups are approaching home- lessness. A letter from Winnipeg’s mayor sent to groups warning them to not inter- fere when police, fire or paramedics are at encampments went public while the delegation was in Houston. Out- reach groups Main Street Project and St. Boniface Street Links have also clashed over differing approaches to helping those in encampments. Still, those on the trip came away hopeful for the future. Thompson Mayor Colleen Smook said it was good to meet with those on the front lines in Houston but also to discuss approaches to housing and homelessness with other Manitobans. “We’ve got to start working more as a group together,” Smook said. Right now, “we’re all in the same book, just on different pages.” Smook added that she hopes the focus moving forward will be more person-centred. “We don’t always think of the people on the street first,” she said. “We’re worried about how we’re going to help them but we don’t always include them.” The province says it paid around $30,000 for its nine provincial repre- sentatives to attend the two-day trip, which included Smith, deputy min- isters and civil servants, including those working on policy. — With files from Nicole Buffie. katrina.clarke@freepress.mb.ca Minister defends ‘Houston model’ trip dubbed ‘baffling’ and needless by expert KATRINA CLARKE CALLAGHAN O’HARE / FREE PRESS FILES The 26-person provincial delegation is the second Manitoba group to head to Houston to learn how the Texas city provided housing to reduce its homeless population by 60 per cent. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith says she appre- ciated learning how Houston centralized its homelessness response. Tories point fingers after drop in housing starts ‘NDP have fallen behind’ on building starts CAROL SANDERS MANITOBA’S Progressive Conserva- tives are blaming the NDP government for a decline in new home construction. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. data shows that single-detached house starts in Manitoba cities of 10,000 or more dropped six per cent from Janu- ary to June compared to the same per- iod last year, and that total housing starts fell 17 per cent year over year. The CMHC reported in mid-July that 2,576 new homes broke ground January to June in metro areas. That’s down 18.5 per cent from the seven-year average, the PCs said in a release Wednesday. “The NDP have fallen behind on their building starts, they’re asking for more people to come into Manitoba, but there’s no plan” to house them, inter- im Tory leader Wayne Ewasko told the Free Press. After nine months in office and an NDP budget that promised to increase housing, Premier Wab Kinew’s govern- ment has failed to deliver, Ewasko said. “It’s a lot of talk and not a whole lot of action,” he said. The NDP fired back, suggesting the PCs were “highlighting their failure over the last seven years.” “One of the first things the previous government did when they were elected was to cut the rental housing tax credit, and they did not create the right condi- tions to incentivize adequate housing for Manitobans,” a cabinet communica- tions spokesperson said in an email. “Our government is moving forward in a new direction, with a strong em- phasis on building housing. Budget 2024 included a powerful new incentive to build new rentals, and we significant- ly reduced property taxes for (the) vast majority of homeowners.” Housing starts signal a strong econ- omy and whether a government takes housing seriously, Ewasko said, noting Manitoba’s population has grown by more than 18,000 in six months but the NDP have no plan for more building. In March, the province said it would reduce the number of construction ap- prentices working with journeypersons to a 1:1 ratio from 2:1 under the Tories. The NDP say the change is not yet in effect and won’t impact housing starts. “We need more people working in the trades to build these houses for more Manitobans coming in,” Ewasko said. Manitoba Home Builders’ Associ- ation president and CEO Lanny McInn- es agreed, saying the new ratio “will likely have an impact down the road.” For now, though, CMHC numbers for June show housing starts are “back on pace” following ups and downs since the pandemic began, said McInnes. “There were some positives in terms of single-family housing starts both in the city and, especially, outside the city,” he said. “Single-family housing starts outside Winnipeg’s metro region doubled in terms of pace.” The association isn’t sure what’s driv- ing that increase, he said, noting multi- family housing starts that were down at the start of the year picked up in June. The pace of housing construction in the province appears to be returning to normal following a spike at the height of the pandemic in 2021-22, then a slump in response to high inflation and rising interest rates, he said. The Bank of Canada lowering its key lending rate twice — and signalling that rates won’t increase in the foreseeable future — provides “a level of stability” for buyers and builders, McInnes said. Ewasko said he doubts the housing situation will improve under the NDP. “We’re hoping things are going to get better but we’re not seeing how it’s go- ing to happen,” he said. The NDP says housing starts fluctu- ate and are impacted by several factors. “Manitoba’s full year ranking for 2024 remains to be determined,” the cabinet spokesperson said. Manitoba’s neighbouring provinces also saw a decline in housing starts this year, the CMHC reported, down 14 per cent during the first six months in both Ontario and Saskatchewan. Alberta, meanwhile, saw a 54 per cent increase. On average, Canada saw housing starts increase by seven per cent. The CMHC forecast a decline in Manitoba housing starts at the start of the year followed by a “modest in- crease.” “We expect housing starts to decrease slightly in 2024, as high financing costs continue to weigh on developers in the near-term,” it wrote. “Anticipated reductions in mortgage rates are likely to motivate potential buyers, leading to modest increases in both sales and prices this year.” carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca THE provincial government has ordered a handful of communities in southern Manitoba to begin spraying for mosquitoes after finding evidence of insects in- fected with West Nile virus. The fogging operations begin Thursday evening in Winkler and neighbouring communities within a three-kilometre radius, including Reinfeld, Chortitz and Schanzenfeld, a news release issued Wednesday said. Environmental conditions have created ideal con- ditions for mosquitoes to spread the virus although no locally acquired infections have been confirmed in Manitoba, it said. People living in the affected area are asked to re- main inside during and immediately after spraying occurs. They should close all doors and windows, cover swimming pool surfaces, wash any household items or toys left outside and wash any homegrown food before consumption, the province said. Operations will continue into the night, weather conditions permitting. For treatment times and area map, go to gov.mb.ca/health/wnv/control.html. Mosquito spraying after traces of West Nile Virus ;