Winnipeg retains bird-friendly development requirement after 'unprecedented' warbling from public

A flock of angry bird-lovers influenced a decision before Winnipeg city council that could've done away with bylaw protections designed to reduce bird deaths — were it not for all the chirping from the public.

Following a daylong hearing Wednesday, council decided not to "delete" a bird-friendly window requirement for new builds near malls and major roadways, a bylaw that came into effect less than a year ago.

"I'm really glad they didn't delete the requirements and I think some flexibility isn't necessarily a bad thing as long as it's not so flexible that it it doesn't end up being effective," said Alison Conrad, co-founder of the advocacy group Bird Friendly Winnipeg. "I'm cautiously optimistic."

Councillors were asked by the public service late last fall to consider deleting the nascent zoning rule, in part, over feedback from developers who said the bird-safe window materials were hard to source and costly. That request didn't fly with birders.

"Over 700 people have objected to just deleting any bird protection, unprecedented in my 14 years here," said Coun. Brian Mayes (St. Vital). "I think the staff are beginning to realize they've hit a nerve here and they're saying, well, we're prepared to compromise."

Council voted unanimously in favour of a motion put forth by Coun. Janice Lukes Wednesday that preserves a version of the existing bird-friendly window requirement she introduced in fall 2024, with a tweak.

Developers are still required to incorporate a bird-friendly treatment on windows up to 16 metres from the ground or to the top of nearby tree canopies, whichever is higher, "to the satisfaction of the director," states the amended bylaw.

Lukes said the change offers some flexibility to city planners working with developers, including over what kind of treatment — decals, glazes, prefabricated UV-coated windows — can be incorporated.

"We have found a compromise that both will be something that developers can build with and hopefully we can get more density on corridors and mall sites, but at the same time we're still going to make sure that there are treatments on the windows to protect birds," Mayor Scott Gillingham told reporters.

The bylaw doesn't apply citywide, only to zoning rules for mall sites and major corridors — referred to as a "planned development overlay."

That overlay grew out of city's application to the federal government's housing accelerator fund in recent years as part of efforts to spur mixed-use and multi-family buildings in places with lots of amenities already in place but not much residential housing.

Members of the city's public service told council that despite being ahead of schedule on housing starts under other development frameworks, there had only been one application to develop a multi-family complex through the mall and corridor planning framework in the past year or so.

"Developers have told us these rules can be hard to meet because materials can be hard to source and add significant cost and delays," Devin Clark, a planner with the city, told councillors Wednesday.

Environment and Climate Change Canada estimates between 16 million and 42 million migratory birds die in Canada per year by flying into windows. That's a figure Autumn Jordan and others referenced during Wednesday's meeting.