Our Story | Westminster Housing Society

Westminster Housing Society is one of Winnipeg’s oldest and most successful non-profit housing providers.

Over the past 30 years, WHS has acquired, built, and managed over 100 deeply affordable rental units in West Broadway and neighbouring areas; rehabilitating old rooming houses and single-family dwellings, as well as constructing new buildings.

We are dedicated to providing good quality homes for people living on low incomes.

Our Start Date

1993

Providing over 100 housing units

102

Acquired & rehabilitated 23 houses

Completed 3 'new build' projects

Our History

1993

Founding

Founded by philanthropist Charles Huband, the Westminster Housing Society was incorporated and became a registered charity in September of 1993.

1994

First Project

In 1994, we embarked on our first project, building 12 townhouses at 165 Maryland. These new townhouses replaced a row of houses that were in disrepair and beyond saving. These units continue to be a unique part of our housing stock, offering up to 5 bedrooms for larger families.

1997

Affordable Housing

Between 1997-2004, we purchased and renovated 14 homes in West Broadway, adding 53 units of deeply affordable housing to the neighbourhood.

2024

Newest Property

Our newest property, Place of Pride, opened in September 2024. Located in West Broadway, this 21-unit building is for older 2SLGBTQ+ adults, and is made up of 1- and 2-bedroom units; six of which are fully accessible. In keeping with WHS’s mandate, all the apartments are for low-income residents; all have subsidized rents. Westminster Housing’s Place of Pride apartments are part of the larger Place of Pride Campus, providing a home for the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

Looking Forward

Today we own and operate 29 properties. With over 100 units, we offer meaningful, deeply affordable housing for over 240 residents.

Our oldest building was built in 1894, our newest was built in 2024, making the average age of our properties 107.5 years old! The buildings are in deep need of renewal. Our priority now is rebuilding and updating our housing portfolio so we can continue to provide quality housing to our renters.

Deep Energy Retrofit

In 2024 and 2025, funded by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, and Efficiency Manitoba, we did a deep energy retrofit study of all 29 of our properties. The goal was to explore how our properties could be retrofitted to be more energy efficient and be renewed for another 60 years of building life.

The study identified that a deep energy retrofit is achievable and cost-effective for most of our properties. This involves fully renewed interiors, new insulated exteriors, new windows and doors, solar panels, and geothermal heating and cooling.

We’ve been sharing the results of our study with other housing providers across Canada. This approach, which we have dubbed “Do Everything, Everywhere, All at Once”, is a new way of looking at maintaining existing affordable housing. Westminster Housing is showing there is a better way of funding existing affordable housing, a way that is clearly focused on the long term sustainability of our affordable housing supply.

Our Board Members

Emma Rafferty

Emma Rafferty is a registered social worker. She has worked in the FASD community for 15 years and has a passion for advocacy. Her grandfather and great uncle founded Westminster Housing Society, so she has a personal commitment to the organization. Her family lives in Wolseley.

Jonah Pearce

Jonah Pearce (he/him) has worked in the non-profit and social enterprise sectors on poverty reduction, housing, and workforce development, as a researcher, executive director, and consultant. Jonah holds a PhD in economic geography and is the principal at Sixteenth Letter Collaborative, a consultancy whose goal is to make the world more empathetic, livable, and just.

Louise Smith

Louise Smith, BA, MBA, ICD.D, works in strategic planning, change management, research, and communications. She brings diverse perspectives from leadership roles in financial services, government, and publishing, and has worked regularly with boards and management on strategic matters. She is currently VP of Strategy and Governance at Credit Union Central of Manitoba. Louise has served on various not for profit boards in Winnipeg, in the social support, arts, and co-operative fields.

Bryce Vincent

Bryce Vincent is a results-oriented finance leader with expertise in managing complex, multi-entity operations across many sectors. With a strong audit foundation laid through articling at KPMG, Bryce brings a practical, systems-driven approach to financial oversight. As Board Treasurer, he combines financial stewardship with strategic insight, ensuring sound financial governance, clear reporting, and disciplined management of resources in support of Westminster Housing Society's organizational objectives.

Alec Stuart

Alec Stuart is the Manager of the Property Department at Manitoba Hydro, where he is responsible for managing one of the largest land portfolios in Manitoba. Having worked for both Neighbourhoods Alive! and the Winnipeg Housing/Homelessness Initiative earlier in his career, Alec brings experience in both affordable housing and community development to the Board along with more recent experience with subdivisions, zoning, and land acquisition. He holds a Master’s Degree in City Planning from the University of Manitoba and is currently working towards his Registered Professional Planner designation

Shannon MacFarlane

Shannon MacFarlane has decades of community and board experience. Her career consisted of language teaching, administration, and leadership roles including CEO of several immigrant serving organizations. She is a long time member of Westminster United Church and is delighted to serve on the Westminster Housing Society board.

Brian Pincott

Brian Pincott moved to Winnipeg in the summer of 2019, moving to West Broadway. He has been on the Board of Directors of WHS since the fall of 2023. Brian has been a passionate supporter and defender of affordable housing for over 25 years. He was the Board Chair of Calgary Housing Company and founder of Attainable Homes Calgary. As a Board Member of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, he was Chair of the Community Economic Development Committee, working on developing the 2017 National Housing Strategy.