report: ii, 28 pp.; ill., digital fileThe City of Winnipeg considers the Spence neighbourhood a Major Rehabilitation Area.
Socio-economic conditions have deteriorated and the number of boarded-up and
abandoned homes has increased. Community groups are calling for revitalization as the
conditions escalate toward irreversible decay. Unfortunately, there are numerous barriers
to urban revitalization; one obstacle for the redevelopment of homes in this area is the
City of Winnipeg’s stringent tax policy. Many of the abandoned units have back taxes
owing and are left vacant for up to five years before the city claims title to the property. If
a private homeowner is in tax arrears and wants to give or sell the home for a nominal
amount to a non-profit group, the city stresses that back taxes still have to be paid. Once
the five-year tax sale process is completed, homes are easy to acquire from the city. The
purpose of this investigation is to illustrate how detrimental a five-year waiting period
can be for the already neglected housing stock and the perception of the neighbourhood,
as well as its role in accelerating urban decay.Institute of Urban Studie
