Discussions

Here is one reason - this is ridiculous.  
 
An 11 storey building with only 10 units currently occupied. Because of an issue with the ventilation system since 2015.  
 
This could be affordable housing.  
 
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/princess-towers-brandon-1.4552989  
 
Edited by Brenda.., 2018-02-27 06:07:39

They were also one of the problem buildings for bedbugs in the past few years. One has to wonder if that's part of the problem as well.

Is OWNED by manitoba housing . It is ment to be afordable housing . It has 10 suits out of 76 being ocupied. Because they messued up and put the weong size venting in for the kitchen and bathroom vents and the laundryroom venting

Were absolutely another problem there. Publishing only part of the issues is irresponsible. Nothing bad to say about the councillor who is bringing this to notice but he should also make the bed bug issue public.

Don't know for sure but I think the building in question was built early 70's or late 60's and would have been built subject to current building codes as well as inspections during construction at that time. The ventilation system probably would not meet todays building code or regulations but that doesn't mean it's no good.  
Does anyone here know what specifically is wrong with the ventilation system?  
Yes I do believe that there has been issues with bedbugs! (I hope that I am not promoting a false rumor)

If you read the article that was posted it will tell specifically what the problems are.  
 
According to the Brandon Sun archives Princess Towers had a Bedbug infestation back in 2007, so over 10 years ago. I imagine they have fixed it by now.

Public building, every apartment building, every form of public transportation has had problems with bed bug infestation at one time or another. It dose not matter if your rich or poor. It's a world wide problem. Cross your fingers and hope you or a family member don't bring and home to live with you.

I know some people who have lived and do live in that building and sad to say that bed bugs are still very much a problem in that building! They hate having to keep their things forever packed into bug proof boxes and having their homes fumigated almost every 3 weeks! I’d like to know why they can’t get rid of the problems once and for all in that building!!  
 
Edited by Sashaa, 2018-02-27 14:23:17

The article just says the vent sizing is insufficient. Was it always? Is it now because of new codes? What?

A couple of years ago it was reported that Manitoba owns about 10,000 housing units & 10% of those are empty at all times waiting for repairs.painting & cleaning before being rented again.Most units are over 40 years old.  
The larger buildings are treated for bedbugs often,but are never completely rid of them.Manitoba Housing staff took over the extermination from pest control companies a few years ago.

MB Housing seems to be weird for how they prioritize repairs of units. When I got out of low income housing, they literally had contractors in my old 2 bedroom unit the next day to start the painting and whatever else they needed to do. And had a new family moved in less than 2 weeks after I was out. My unit had normal wear and tear from living there for 6.5 years and didn’t require any major repairs).  
 
When I was still a tenant and my neighbours moved out. Their 3 bedroom sat empty for almost 6 months before anyone even stepped foot inside to fix it up. Their unit also had normal wear and tear and nothing major for repairs. (I was friends with them so I saw their place often). After 8 months of being empty, I finally got new neighbors.  
 
These were just town houses. I can’t imagine the bs going on around the princess towers building.  
 
But yes a good chunk of units just sit empty every where, that is true. I was however told units aren’t just sitting empty because of repairs though. I was told by my property manager at the time that they have to leave so many units empty per area in case of severe emergencies where someone needs a place to go on the spot.  
 
There is a lot of red tape with MB Housing and it’s not as black and white as people may think to just be able to apply and you get a unit. They have their own rules they need to follow too. I don’t imagine it being easy for them to go through multiple applications and have to make the tough decision on who’s case is more severe or emergent from the next person who applied. I know this since I went through it. But they did seem our situation severe because from the time I applied to the time they found me a place, I only waited 4-5 months compared to the 2+ years others claim to wait.

1. The building was renovated in 2015;  
2. After the building was renovated, it was discovered that the mechanical designer made mistakes regarding duct sizing;  
3. Manitoba Housing won a claim against the designer's insurance company in 2017, providing the funds to fix the problem;  
4. A tender was issued for the repair of the ducting, and awarded last month;  
5. Construction is scheduled to begin in March, finishing in July 2019.