Posted Jul 22, 2026, 11:56 PM
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Quote:
Bridgwater residents fed up with Manitoba Housing eyesore
Malak Abas
Wednesday, Jul. 22, 2026
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS
The empty lot on Silver Creek Road in Bridgwater has been left to grow wild all summer. Residents who live nearby are frustrated with the eyesore, but the city says it is powerless to do anything because it doesn’t have jurisdiction.
A weed-covered plot of land in Bridgwater has been left to grow wild all summer, raising the ire of neighbours who say they were told the property is owned by Manitoba Housing and bylaw officers cannot intervene.
The piece of land on Silver Creek Road sticks out: it is one of few empty plots in the south Winnipeg area and is packed with weeds and garbage. A sign erected in the middle of the land warns the plot is private property.
Several residents of surrounding homes told the Free Press the land hasn’t been mowed or cleaned for months, and the three-foot weeds have attracted pests.
“Definitely, we have to tell (the city) to clean up because (there) are so much insects, and we have rodents sometimes,” said Manpreet Kaur, whose home is next to the plot.
Another resident told the Free Press they had repeatedly reached out to 311 and were told the city’s hands are tied because the property is owned by Manitoba Housing, and bylaw officers are unable to intervene.
“Unfortunately, because this property is owned by Manitoba Housing, bylaw enforcement services have no jurisdiction,” says an email to a resident from 311.
She described the situation as a “blame game” between the city and the province.
“You guys are all pointing the finger at each other, all making excuses,” said the resident, who asked to not be named.
Kaur said her husband, Jaspreet Kaur, has repeatedly asked the city to take action — either by cutting the grass or ordering the owner to do so — for years. She said her husband has considered starting a petition.
“We are concerned because of the lot, and sometimes we get so much with the winds, garbage that’s collected on the corner, and it doesn’t look good,” she said. “We pay a lot of … taxes, it’s a good neighbourhood, they have to do something.”
A spokesperson from the provincial government confirmed the property is owned by Manitoba Housing and said it would be cleaned within 48 hours. The delay in cleaning it is due to “significant rainfall.”
The city councillor for the area said it’s a common issue in Bridgwater.
Manitoba Housing owns several pieces of land in the area. Its goal is to develop and sell them, and use the profit to pay for inner-city housing, said Waverley West Coun. Janice Lukes.
It’s Manitoba Housing’s responsibility to maintain them. Lukes said the properties are subject to complaints from homeowners.
“Manitoba Housing is not a seasoned developer,” Lukes said. “They are not … I don’t know how to say this nicely, but this has been a nightmare for me, because this isn’t their forte, this is not their area of expertise, so it’s not their priority.”
Lukes said she regularly hears from constituents about poorly managed lots and will drive around the neighbourhood noting unkempt areas to flag to David Pankratz, the NDP MLA for the area.
“We’re constantly calling Manitoba Housing on pieces like this, and it’s ridiculous, (the weeds) are up to my hips, it’s tall,” she said. “We’ll call them, they’ll send someone out.”
A West Broadway landlord was handed a city compliance order this month to clean up “an accumulation of garbage” on his riverfront apartment property that had been left by a homeless encampment.
The order warned that, if the city had to remediate the space, the cost could be added to his property taxes.
Lukes said the city could “technically” issue a similar order to Manitoba Housing, but because there’s consistent contact between the city and the province, it’s faster to deal with it through that line of communication.
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Winnipeg Free Press
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