Industry News

UDI meets with Mayor Gillingham

UDI Board Chair Michael Carruthers, MHBA Board Chair Spencer Curtis, and MHBA President & CEO Lanny McInnes met with Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham on April 9th. Topics discussed included the implementation of Housing Accelerator Fund initiatives, zoning bylaw modernization, addressing how City specification and policy changes are impacting housing affordability, and identifying ways our organizations can assist the City of Winnipeg in meeting its target of approving 8000 housing units before December 2024 

RRPD Service Improvements

UDI has received the following bulletin from the Red River Planning District:

 

Various recommendations for service improvements have been presented by builders, municipalities, and Board members. RRPD administration has diligently reviewed concerns raised by stakeholders, particularly regarding the inspections and permit processing, and has implemented numerous improvements.

 

These include measures to enhance communication, facilitate consistency, streamline inspection procedures, and revise plan review processes. Resolutions from the RRPD Board have also directed the administration to address issues such as the acceptance of photographic evidence and communication with applicants throughout the permit process.

 

Read the full RRPD Builders Bulletin HERE.

 

For Inspector contact information, click here.

City of Brandon: Developers on Site Completion for Multiple Locations

Completion of development site work by a developer is a permit requirement that is too often not being met.

 

Applying to all open permits issued 2014 and earlier, Developers will be presented with the choice of:

  1. Completing their site work within a specified timeframe; or
  2. Procuring a Development Permit accompanied by the submission of a deposit calculated based on the remaining scope of work

 

Developers who opt not to pursue the completion of projects associated with open permits risk eligibility to secure building or development permits in the future.

 

One of the primary objectives of City of Brandon is the comprehensive fulfillment of site work requirements, encompassing lot grading and landscaping. The complete development of new sites, including their landscaping, significantly enhances the aesthetic appeal and functionality of our neighbourhoods, thereby fostering a more vibrant and desirable living environment within Brandon.

 

As outlined, Development Services will be issuing notifications to developers holding open permits across multiple addresses within the city. The purpose of these notifications is to apprise developers of their obligations and provide them with clear options and timelines for project completion

City of Winnipeg: Development Permit Exemptions

Winnipeg's Planning, Property & Development Department (PP&D) will be implementing several zoning bylaw updates over the next few years. The first phase of these changes involves development permit exemptions. 

 

Bylaw amendments approved by Council on March 21, 2024 provide the Director of PP&D with the authority to determine if a development permit is required.  

 

Development permit exemptions will streamline the permit process for certain construction projects that don’t need to be reviewed for compliance with zoning regulations.  

 

Development permit exemptions will benefit the development industry, as well as homeowners.  

  • The number of permits required for eligible projects will be reduced. 
  • The cost associated with development permit fees for eligible projects will be removed. 
  • The building permit can be applied for earlier so the permitting process will be shortened.


For more information on the changes, see the development permit exemptions here.

Manitoba Municipal Board – Public Hearing Notices

Manitoba Municipal Board public hearing notices can be found here.

MB Hydro - Residential Development

Manitoba Hydro has updated its website to allow developers to apply online for pre-serving of both residential and commercial developments. You can find more details from Manitoba Hydro via the links below:

Residential Developments

Commercial Developments
News

City hiring consultant to implement major zoning bylaw changes for housing

The city is seeking a consultant to help implement major, controversial zoning changes that council recently approved to secure federal housing cash.

 

Half of apartments in Exchange District development will be rent-geared-to-income after provincial funding

Affordable apartments units in a new project in Winnipeg's Exchange District will now cost even less after a funding commitment from the Manitoba government.

 

‘It is freaking people out’: apprenticeship supervision ratio debate heats up

 

Winnipeg then and now: See how city's appearance has changed over 150 years

The year Winnipeg became a city, it was marked by a handful of clapboard buildings and wood-plank sidewalks that flanked mud roads. 

 

True North, Southern Chiefs' Organization agree to build 15-storey residential tower at Portage Place together

The Southern Chiefs' Organization and True North Real Estate Development plan to work together to build a residential tower together at downtown Winnipeg's Portage Place mall

 

Ambitious health, housing overhaul in the works for Portage Place site

On Friday, the provincial government — alongside True North Real Estate Development, the Southern Chiefs Organization, and other stakeholders — formally announced a partnership to transform Portage Place.

 

‘There’s a real need for it out here’: Trudeau in Winnipeg to talk affordable housing

Trudeau’s visit comes a day after the federal government has hinted at what will be presented in its upcoming budget, announcing $15 billion for an apartment construction loan program.

 

After years of debate, Parker lands development clears initial hurdle at Winnipeg city hall

A major development project on Winnipeg's Parker lands passed its first hearing at city hall after more than a decade of debate and legal challenges.

 

Fossil fuel fouls clean-grid future

Despite its reputation as one of Canada’s cleanest electric grids, Manitoba Hydro used more natural gas-fuelled electricity in the last 12 months than it has in a decade.

 

City planners pivot after lengthy ‘embarrassment,’ recommend massive Fort Garry housing project

A long-delayed major housing development that sparked a legal battle with the city may finally move ahead, a decade after it was first proposed, putting an end to a process some deem an “embarrassment” for Winnipeg.

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