The City of Winnipeg is considering making it easier for property owners to relinquish derelict buildings, while giving non-profits the opportunity to buy properties at deep discounts. The City of Winnipeg wants to make it easier to take vacant and derelict properties and turn them into affordable housing.
"Additionally, some property owners may wish to surrender their property to the city prior to entering into tax sale status — thereby reducing the number of years it would normally take before the city assumes control of a property." "If I was a property owner, and I could walk away from this without any cost or anything, I would probably sign it over," he said."This is a really good step, if the city is willing to kind of step in and take some ownership and really work through some of those bureaucracy issues that people are having, and get rid of some of these properties faster.