Manitoba landlords waiting to hear from government on housing Syrian refugees

A group representing most of Manitoba's landlords says it's waiting to hear from the provincial or federal government on how it can help house up to 2,000 Syrian refugees in the coming months.

Finding homes for the refugees is a priority for the province, which announced on Thursday that it's marshalling resources normally reserved for floods and other emergencies to help the new arrivals settle here.

• Manitoba using emergency resources to bring in up to 2,000 Syrian refugees

A provincial housing task force will explore the availability of housing and support in other regions, said officials, who stressed that no refugees will be housed in military barracks or public housing.

"Manitoba Housing right now is working with landlords and others to kind of see if we could find rental accommodation for them. We want to ensure that no other Manitobans are displaced," Ben Rempel, the province's assistant deputy minister of immigration, told reporters in Winnipeg.

But Avrom Charach of Kay Four Properties, who speaks for the Professional Property Managers Association of Manitobaand represents theresidential rental industry in the province, told CBC News that nobody has called his organization or its members to date.

"As of yesterday, I haven't heard that anybody has," he said Thursday afternoon."We've been putting the feelers out. Our association is ready to help if we're asked."

Landlords in Toronto, Ottawa and Alberta have already been contacted about housing refugees, but that hasn't happened in Winnipeg to date, he said.

Charach said new numbers that will be released soon by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. will show the vacancy rate continuing to improve, with up to 2,000 apartment units available in Manitoba.

That could be good news not only for Manitobans looking for a place to live, but also for some of the refugees coming to the province, he said.

"We actually do have units available, but they may not be in the price range that these people can afford, even with the support government's providing," Charach said.

However, he added that some landlords have pledged to offer units at discounted prices.