Winnipeg woman advocates for closure of Manwin Hotel over safety concerns | CBC News
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A Winnipeg woman argues that on top of a checkered history of crimes associated with a Main Street hotel, there are also ongoing safety concerns that warrant its closure — while its owner says the hotel isn’t the problem.
Barb Guimond is advocating for the Manwin Hotel on Main, between Logan and Henry avenues, to be shut down over what she says are unsafe conditions inside the building.
“There’s been quite a few homicides here so it’s generally not a good place,” said Guimond.
The Manwin Hotel has been in the news several times in recent years as the site of assaults and deaths, including two homicides earlier this year and one each in 2020 and 2017.
Two officers were seen entering the hotel Thursday, but a police spokesperson wouldn’t tell CBC News why the officers were there.
The spokesperson did say calls for service are fairly common on that block of Main but wouldn’t disclose how often officers are called to the Manwin in particular.
In addition to the crimes at the hotel, it was shut down temporarily in 2021 when provincial inspectors issued a health hazard order due to a lack of heat and water.
Guimond said her concerns about the safety of the space come from conversations with front-line workers who work with the homeless people in the area.
She recently attempted to enter the hotel but said she couldn’t make it past the lobby.
“I couldn’t tolerate the smell and I left,” she said. “Some of the front-line workers say not to go in there.”
CBC News spoke with Akim Kambamba, who identified himself as part-owner of the Manwin.
“There’s no violence there,” Kambamba said when reached by phone Thursday.
He said some rooms are being renovated and carpets are being replaced.
Thirty-four of the suites are currently occupied by renters, and he said the building is providing safe housing to tenants.
“If an incident happened, that’s a long time ago,” he said. “If an incident happened in the past, it doesn’t mean the building is unsafe.”
A government spokesperson said Manitoba Health staff were present along with other agencies that inspected the hotel in late August. They found issues with the standards of housing in the hotel.
Manitoba Health ordered repairs to toilets, showers and leaking pipes, and ordered that locks be added to washroom doors.
Inspectors also issued orders regarding pest issues, holes in walls and a lack of sufficient ventilation in washrooms to prevent mould from growing.
The provincial spokesperson said the owner of the Manwin has said some of the issues have been fixed.
Guimond scoffed at that assertion.
“That’s ridiculous,” she said. “It looks like it’s getting worse.”
She said she understands the Manwin is home to several renters. She said they need help to find somewhere safer to live.
Guimond said she raised her concerns in a meeting with Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham last month.
A spokesperson for the mayor said Guimond was then connected with Winnipeg police. Gillingham is monitoring the situation, the spokesperson added.
The hotel remains open. A follow-up inspection is slated for Oct. 20, according to the province.
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