A public inquiry into cost overruns at Winnipeg’s police headquarters, originally budgeted at $2M, receives an additional $300K to cover legal and expert fees
Public Inquiry into Winnipeg Police Headquarters Costs
A public inquiry is examining cost overruns related to the construction of the Winnipeg Police Service’s headquarters. The inquiry will look into higher-than-expected costs.
The Manitoba government has approved an additional $300,000 to the original $2-million budget for the inquiry. This inquiry is set to start next month.
The extra funding will cover lawyer fees, expert testimony, and other expenses. Justice Minister Matt Wiebe stated that the inquiry is led by commissioner Garth Smorang.
Wiebe said, “It’s about bringing together his team and looking at exactly who is going to need to be called in order to get the information needed, to do the inquiry correctly.”
He added, “Now that he’s got a little bit more information, I think it’s now going to be on track to be able to bring this to a conclusion.”
The inquiry was announced last year. It will examine the purchase and conversion of a former Canada Post building into the new police headquarters. The project exceeded its initial $135-million budget by $79 million when it was completed in 2016.
The project faced controversy, leading the city to file a lawsuit against several individuals, including former chief administrative officer Phil Sheegl. A judge found that Sheegl accepted a $327,000 bribe from a contractor.
Sheegl claimed the money was for an unrelated real estate deal in Arizona. He appealed the ruling but lost.
The Court of Appeal stated that Sheegl engaged in 14 different derelictions of duty, which amounted to disgraceful and unethical behavior as a public servant.
Police investigated, but the Crown decided not to lay charges. The Manitoba Prosecution Service reviewed the matter last year and found no reasonable likelihood of a conviction in criminal court.
The inquiry is scheduled to start on February 10 and run until mid-June. A list of expected witnesses has not yet been released.
Manitoba’s last major public inquiry exceeded its budget before concluding in 2013. It examined failures in the child welfare system related to the case of five-year-old Phoenix Sinclair, who was killed by her mother and the mother’s boyfriend after social workers closed her file.
The inquiry was initially allotted $4.7 million but ended up costing $14 million due to delays and procedural arguments.
Wiebe expressed confidence that Smorang’s inquiry will stay within its new budget. Some examination has already been done through a municipal audit and the civil court case.
“I think that allows [Smorang] to have a better sense of the exact scope and process that he’s going to undertake,” Wiebe said.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Inquiry Start Date | February 10 |
| Inquiry End Date | Mid-June |
| Original Budget | $2 million |
| Additional Funding | $300,000 |
| Initial Project Budget | $135 million |
| Cost Overrun | $79 million |
| Bribe Amount | $327,000 |
| Previous Inquiry Budget | $4.7 million |
| Final Cost of Previous Inquiry | $14 million |
