Owner of vacant building battling Winnipeg city hall over $100K bill for firefighting

The owner of a vacant building in Winnipeg's Centennial neighbourhood says the city has unfairly billed her more than $100,000 for firefighting efforts, after her property suffered four fires due to suspected arson last year. 

Maria Suzuki says the fires happened at a house she owns on Elgin Avenue in January, May, June and August 2023, despite the fact she had the property boarded up as per municipal bylaws. 

She was billed for three of the fires — at more than $30,000 each — after the city began charging owners of vacant properties for fire response costs in early 2023.

"When I opened the bill, I was very surprised," she said. "I had to really read it over, like three times, to make sure what I'm seeing is what I'm understanding."

The fires happened after Suzuki's last tenants moved out in 2022. She said it's been difficult to get the property rented again since. 

The property was broken into multiple times after her tenants moved out. In break-in during the summer of 2022, thieves ripped out copper wire and drywall. 

"Everything was just so upside down, so that was a huge damage," she said. 

Bylaw confusion 

After city council passed the fire cost bylaw amendments last January, Suzuki said she knew she might be on the hook if there was a blaze at her property.

Her issue, however, is how her fines were calculated. 

Winnipeg's vacant buildings bylaw says fire protection service fees are calculated based on whether a two-person crew or four-person crew is required to attend, and total charges are based on what the bylaw describes as a "fee amount per unit."

But Suzuki says it isn't clear how the city defines "unit," and she thinks she was overcharged. 

While Suzuki assumed "per unit" meant per property, she thinks she was charged based on the number of crews who had to attend each fire. 

"The most frustrating part for me is I was trying to talk to somebody — I called the 311 fire paramedic department who sent me the bills, corporate finances — and none of them seems to know where to direct my question, or who I can talk to," she said.

After months of trying to get answers, Suzuki hired lawyer John Prystanski, who is a former city councillor, to try to resolve the issue. 

Prystanski says the way the bylaw is written leaves room for misinterpretation. 

"There's a whole host of information out there that we have to clarify, and we're very concerned that this bylaw is not being applied fairly or equally," he said. 

He's written a letter to the city's property and development committee, its chairperson (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry Coun. Sherri Rollins) and Mayor Scott Gillingham, asking to appear at the committee's next meeting to make their case. 

He said he and Suzuki are not asking for an appeal, but want to have a chance to explain how the city is misapplying these fees.

"I think the key part here is, councillors are elected as representatives of the public. Ms. Suzuki is a member of the public, and she should have an opportunity to meet with them based on this matter," he said. 

A spokesperson for Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service said she couldn't comment on Suzuki's property.

However, the department has identified some areas where the bylaw could be improved and plans to bring forward some proposed amendments in the coming months, the spokesperson said.