Manwin tenant says he can’t find another place to live, wants Main Street hotel kept open | CBC News

A man living in Winnipeg’s Manwin Hotel acknowledges there are issues at the property, but he doesn’t want to see it closed for fear he’ll have nowhere else to go.

“It’s home … until I can find another place,” said Ashok Salwan, a tenant who has lived at hotel on Winnipeg’s Main Street for the past five months.

A small group of community members gathered outside the Manwin on Wednesday, for the second time this month, expressing concern about living conditions there and the safety of tenants.

That comes after an Oct. 17 Manitoba Health followup inspection of the hotel. Inspectors found the owner had not complied with a notice to repair the building issued Aug. 30, after a previous inspection found issues with meeting the minimum standards of living.

The hotel has been the scene of stabbings, assaults and deaths several times over the years. Two people were killed in separate incidents earlier this year. There have been at least four homicides in the past six or so years.

“We’ve tried to protect the place,” said Salwan, adding at one point, there were only five tenants in the building.

“There was people coming in 24 hours a day, walking through, trying to steal people’s stuff. The doors weren’t locked properly, and I have an issue right now with no key for my door.”

But “its the only place I had to live when I got out of jail,” said Salwan, 46, who spent time on the streets before renting a room at the hotel.

“We try and have intermittent security to help us take care of it at nighttime and lessen the violence, but there hasn’t been a lot of violence lately,” Salwan said. “My friend Carl got killed in No. 27.”

On Jan. 29, police found the body of Carl George Wescoupe, 40, inside the Manwin Hotel. Six men have been charged in his death.

On Wednesday, as Salwan led reporters and a small group of concerned residents to see his room, a putrid smell hung in the hotel’s dark and rundown hallways.

He said he keeps his space clean and he tries to help others keep the hotel safe.

Salwan pays around $650 a month for his cramped room, which has just enough space for a bed, clothes and some belongings.

Barb Guimond, who spends time helping people in the area around the Manwin and organized a rally outside the hotel on Oct.13, said Wednesday more resources are needed to help people find a better place to live.

“Where’s the leadership in all this? We have all kinds of people from our First Nations communities here, and we don’t have anybody [helping],” Guimond said.

“Where’s the mayor? Where’s the provincial government?”

‘Escalated matters’: province

The Manitoba government said the hotel’s owner hasn’t made the required repairs.

“Due to lack of action taken by the owner, the Health Protection Unit has escalated matters to ensure the notice to repair will be addressed in a timely manner,” a provincial spokesperson said in an email.

The province wouldn’t say exactly how it’s escalating matters.

Akim Kambamba, the hotel’s owner, has previously said he’s doing renovations. He couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday.

City of Winnipeg inspectors, meanwhile, issued orders related to property standards that include the condition of windows, doors, and screens. The city also found issues with litter and garbage, as well as plumbing, electrical and flooring problems. 

There were no fire code violations, according to the city, which would have justified an order to have residents vacate the building.

A spokesperson for Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham said having trained inspectors go through the building to identify issues and safety violations is the most appropriate and effective response for the city.

Bernadette Smith, Manitoba’s newly appointed housing minister, said in a statement she wants to improve access to safe and affordable housing.

For now, Salwan hopes he doesn’t have to leave. At least not yet.

“Where’s a better alternative?” he asked.

“My room is small, but … I’m happy I have a place.”