Environment - Climate Change

July 20, 2023 Published by Manitoba Chapter - By Alan Forbes

Advocacy Update - Summer 2023

From the CCI Manitoba Summer 2023 Condominium News and Views Magazine

This is a recurring feature in our newsletter covering topics affecting condominium corporations (CCs) due to current or planned municipal or provincial legislation and regulations. While our recent focus has been on Winnipeg, primarily with respect to short-term rentals and waste diversion (recycling), if CCs in other municipalities are aware or concerned about similar matters where they live, please let us know, by sending an email to cci.mb.news@gmail.com.

Garbage Management Plan - Multi-Family Dwellings (Winnipeg)

This topic came up at the 2023-06-05 meeting of the Standing Policy Committee on Water, Waste and Environment (SPC-WWE) Committee meeting. A further extension of 30 days was provided for the Winnipeg Public Service to report back on the matter, so perhaps more information will be available in the summer.

This topic first came to light for us last fall when a Property Manager (PM) member of CCI Manitoba sent us an inquiry about garbage bin requirements for multi-family properties because a bylaw officer was investigating one of the PM’s CCs. We found reference to it in the Council meeting minutes from 2022-09-22 under the agenda item Garbage Bin Requirements for Multi-Family Residences https://clkapps.winnipeg.ca/DMIS/ViewDoc.asp?DocId=22452&SectionId=&InitUrl=. Since then it has bounced around a bit between the SPC level, the Executive Policy Committee (EPC) level and Council, with extensions being granted to report back. 

At this point we don’t know much but we think it pertains to information on the City’s “MyUtility” page, which has recommended quantities as shown below for a once-a-week collection  https://myutility.winnipeg.ca/UtilityPortal/RecyclingGarbageYardWaste/sp/multifamilyGarbage.

Multi-Family Waste Diversion (Winnipeg) 

This topic, also known as Recycling Strategy for Apartments and Condos, appeared at the 2023-06-23 meeting of the Standing Policy Committee - Water, Waste & Environment (SPC-WWE) as item #7 under Reports. Note that a presentation is in Appendix A and there is a video recording of that portion of the meeting. https://clkapps.winnipeg.ca/DMIS/ViewDoc.asp?DocId=23859&SectionId=&InitUrl=

For background and timelines, have a look at the project page https://engage.winnipeg.ca/recycling-strategy-for-apartments-and-condos. We last covered this topic in our Fall 2022 newsletter https://cci-manitoba.ca/cci-manitoba-magazine/article/94.

The presentation demonstrates that the City has been diligent and has consulted with all stakeholders and reviewed other jurisdictions and are now ready to move forward. While we can all agree that all users of the recycling program should pay their fair share of the program costs and that sharing must be equitable, which is the issue we raised back in 2021 during the City’s 2022 budget process https://cci-manitoba.ca/cci-manitoba-magazine/article/9. While the City’s recent presentation did not include a new recommendation for a multi-family waste diversion fee, it did mention the previously recommended amount of $44 per multi-family unit (compared with $66 for a single-family home) and lamented the opportunity cost of the lost revenue from the past year and a half. Nor did the presentation discuss the mixed funding model of the current system (from both taxes and fees) which we mentioned in an article in our Winter 2022 newsletter https://cci-manitoba.ca/cci-manitoba-magazine/article/3, with the implication of reduced taxes if the program is to be funded from the fees.

One other thing not mentioned in the City’s presentation was any reference the the Province’s plan for Multi-Material Stewardship Manitoba (MMSM) to take over all recycling programs, operationally and financially, as we covered in an article in our Fall 2022 article https://cci-manitoba.ca/cci-manitoba-magazine/article/94. The MMSM plan focuses on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), which has been implemented elsewhere with varying degrees of success https://www.cbc.ca/news/climate/ontario-recycling-epr-bottles-1.6891813. With the coming Provincial election, it might be worth questioning those knocking on your door and asking for your vote.

Composting & Food Waste Collection

While we haven’t heard of any update on the Winnipeg project, their website suggests that a report will be submitted to Council sometime this summer. https://engage.winnipeg.ca/residential-food-waste-pilot-program

It is interesting to note that Brandon already has a green bin program https://brandon.ca/, that took a seasonal pause last November and resumed this spring in April. Other cities have been rolling out similar programs and many cities have had programs in place for years. One recent example of how not to roll out a program came up in Saskatoon, with a public protest from one CC making the news - the CC lined up all of their newly provided green bins on the street and the City came a few days later to take the bins back. https://saskatoon.ctvnews.ca/city-removes-green-bins-from-saskatoon-retirement-community-following-protest-1.6362130.

Regulating Short Term Rentals (STRs) in Winnipeg

There isn’t much to report on this issue since the Executive Policy Committee (EPC) meeting on 2023-02-14, during which the Public Service did a detailed presentation and a number of stakeholders also presented. https://clkapps.winnipeg.ca/DMIS/ViewDoc.asp?DocId=23357&SectionId=&InitUrl=.  We can probably expect more updates in the next few months.

There was a recent article in the Winnipeg Free Press covering the topic covering many of the points in favour of STRs and in opposition of STRs. Given that people from both sides of the issue don’t like what the City has proposed, their plan may be a reasonable starting point. That said, regardless of the plan, the implementation, monitoring and enforcement are what matters most, based on the experiences of other cities across the country.

Alan Forbes
Government Relations and Advocacy Committee
CCI Manitoba Chapter