Windsor Lodge tenants instructed to go away by finish of April

Individuals residing on the Windsor Lodge in downtown Winnipeg have obtained eviction notices telling them to go away by the top of April.

The 43-unit, 120-year-old constructing has been offered, dealing one other blow to low-income renters like John Olinyk.

“It isn’t too truthful, however I imply, at the least it is not as chilly as it will be,” stated Olinyk, who has lived on the lodge for greater than a yr.

Olinyk is one in every of at the least 20 folks residing on the lodge who obtained eviction notices. He and his girlfriend, who’s pregnant with their baby, have already discovered a spot to dwell on Assiniboine Avenue, however he stated others within the constructing have not been as lucky.

“I imply, there’s some folks right here that have not left the constructing. For these folks, it is gonna be onerous for them, proper?” he stated.

Olinyk stated he is had hassle discovering housing previously. He beforehand lived on the Winnipeg Lodge on Foremost Road, which closed for renovations in 2019.

“All of us knew at the present time was gonna come, at some point,” he stated.

The closing of the Windsor Lodge and the lack of these items is a part of an ongoing development in Winnipeg. 

Final yr, a report from McMaster College discovered that the town misplaced greater than 24,000 items with rents underneath $750 between 2011 and 2021.

“So the strain for people who find themselves dropping their housing proper now could be excessive. There will not be choices,” stated Kate Sjoberg, who works with Foremost Road Challenge, which has been serving to tenants from the Windsor dealing with eviction.

Resorts fill an vital function within the low-income housing market, she stated.

“As a metropolis, we have misplaced an amazing quantity of downtown lodge areas the place folks have been residing during the last 20 years,” Sjoberg stated.

A spokesperson for the town stated the lodge is being offered as a result of the proprietor has not paid their property taxes. A web based itemizing put the worth at $2.5 million.

The 120-year-old Windsor Lodge has a vibrant historical past.

It is served as an incubator for the town’s music scene, and hosted many legendary artists, together with early twentieth century silent movie star Charlie Chaplin, whose picture is immortalized in a life-size cutout on the outside of the constructing.

Now, the constructing’s future is unsure.

One metropolis councillor stated she needs a system to alert companies like Foremost Road Challenge when mass evictions occur. 

“I positively wish to guarantee that we’ve preventative fashions, the place we’re actually exercising them on behalf of residents,” stated Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry Coun. Sherri Rollins, whose ward consists of the Windsor Lodge.