Winnipeg police HQ inquiry hearings planned for winter, spring 2026

CBC News

· Posted: Jun 16, 2025 12:58 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

The nationalist enquiry hearings into the operation of Winnipeg's constabulary office are being planned for wintertime and outpouring 2026, the enquiry said successful a quality merchandise Monday.

The constabulary office project, which saw the metropolis acquisition a erstwhile Canada Post bureau and warehouse analyzable and person it into the caller location of the Winnipeg Police Service, was completed successful 2016 for $214 million, $79 cardinal implicit the council-approved fund successful 2011.

The task was besides the taxable of 2 outer audits, a five-year RCMP probe that concluded successful 2019 without immoderate charges, and civilian litigation by the metropolis against erstwhile main administrative serviceman Phil Sheegl, superior contractor Caspian Construction and different contractors.

The enquiry volition analyse "the circumstances surrounding the redevelopment of the Winnipeg Police Service office and find what measures are indispensable to reconstruct nationalist assurance successful the City of Winnipeg's quality to physique large, publically funded operation projects," the quality merchandise said.

The state announced successful February it had selected labour lawyer Garth Smorang to service arsenic the commissioner for an enquiry to reappraisal the procurement and operation of a constabulary office successful Manitoba's capital. The enquiry was initially requested by a Winnipeg metropolis assembly led by then-mayor Brian Bowman successful 2017.

Before the enquiry starts, Smorang volition determine who tin enactment successful the process, the merchandise said.

Anyone who wants to enactment indispensable beryllium granted standing. Individuals oregon groups tin apply, and applications indispensable beryllium received by Smorang by 4 p.m. connected Aug. 8.

More accusation astir that process is disposable connected the inquiry's website.

A procedural proceeding is besides scheduled for Sept. 10 astatine 9 a.m. astatine the Public Utilities Board offices astatine 400-330 Portage Ave. successful Winnipeg to find standing, on with different motions and applications, the merchandise said. 

The litigation against Sheegl concluded successful 2022 with a tribunal ruling that the erstwhile CAO had accepted a $327,200 bribe from Caspian main Armik Babakhanians and indispensable wage the metropolis $1.1 million.

Sheegl mislaid an entreaty of that determination successful 2023, erstwhile the entreaty tribunal determined Sheegl engaged successful 14 breaches of work betwixt 2010 and 2012 — and that erstwhile Winnipeg politician Sam Katz tin beryllium considered a worldly witness, adjacent though helium was not a enactment to the suit and is not accused of immoderate wrongdoing.

The city's suit against Caspian and different contractors was settled successful 2023, erstwhile Babakhanians and the different defendants agreed to wage the metropolis nary little than $21.5 million.

The constabulary HQ enquiry volition beryllium acold narrower successful scope than the enquiry metropolis assembly formally requested from the provincial authorities 8 years ago.

In 2017, erstwhile Brian Pallister was Manitoba's premier and Brian Bowman served arsenic Winnipeg's mayor, metropolis assembly voted to inquire the state to motorboat a nationalist enquiry into "any and each matters" related to the operation of Winnipeg's constabulary office and a bid of municipal existent property transactions that were examined successful a 2014 outer review.

Those transactions included the Parker onshore swap, the acquisition of the Canada Post analyzable that became the constabulary headquarters, the aborted merchantability of vacant onshore adjacent the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, and the income of the Winnipeg Square parkade and the erstwhile Canad Inns Stadium site.

A broader enquiry connected this standard apt would person outgo the state much than $2 million. The Charbonneau commission, Quebec's nationalist enquiry into construction-industry corruption, outgo $35 cardinal by the clip it was completed successful 2015.

In Manitoba, the enquiry into the decease of Phoenix Sinclair outgo $14 cardinal by the clip its last study was presented successful 2014.

The projected outgo of the police-headquarters enquiry is person to 2 Manitoba inquiries conducted astir 2 decades ago: the $3-million enquiry into the wrongful condemnation of James Driskell, which wrapped up successful 2007, and the $2.6-million, 2008 enquiry into constabulary behaviour pursuing the decease of Crystal Taman.

Smorang has been provided with a constricted clip framework to behaviour his enactment connected the constabulary office inquiry. He indispensable taxable a completed study by Jan. 1, 2027.