The City of Winnipeg has deemed three homes, built with blueprints that were allegedly altered, safe to occupy.
After discovering an engineer’s report on the plans had a forged signature the city ordered all three buildings be re-inspected or demolished.
The houses in question have now been certified by an engineer meaning they will not have to be torn down.
“Based on this, this would be deemed compliance with the order so we are satisfied,” said Barry Thorgrimson from the city’s Department of Planning, Property and Development.
It isn’t clear who may have made the changes to the original documents.
Hollywood Homes, the builder, says it bought the blueprints, with the seal already on the papers, from a city building inspector so they believed they were legitimate.
“So in terms of the origin of that seal, you’d have to ask him,” said Sidney Soronow, the lawyer for Hollywood Homes.
But that inspector, who says he is now retired, tells CTV News he never altered the blueprints and says he is the one who brought the issue to the City’s attention.
City officials confirm the inspector did make light of it and say they are no longer investigating the matter.
But the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists in Manitoba is continuing to probe the case.
