Council agrees to settlement for downtown Winnipeg Police headquarters lawsuits
Winnipeg City Council has agreed to settle two lawsuits the city brought forward related to cost overruns with the downtown Winnipeg police station project.
Councillors voted 14 to two in favour of the deal on Thursday.
"I've said this is a victory for the people of Winnipeg. I truly believe that," Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham told council.
The city will get a minimum of $21.5 million from the agreement, which could rise up to $28 million depending on when the money is paid to the city.
A report to council says this would cover both the “deficiencies” and “fraud” claims against all parties, minus a separate action against former city CAO Phil Sheegl and other defendants.
Previous court documents filed by the RCMP alleged the city was the victim of a multimillion-dollar fraud, as costs for the station ballooned. A 2018 briefing note from RCMP to prosecutors said officers were investigating financial crimes of more than $33 million.
Councillors Russ Wyatt and Matt Allard voted against the settlement offer. They tabled an unsuccessful motion to have an independent set of legal eyes brief council on the deal.
"I think in this case, we want Winnipeggers to know that we absolutely got the best advice that we could possibly get," Allard said. "I think that is not an unreasonable request to have a third party vet what is being offered here."
However, Gillingham said this settlement will avoid an additional $6.4 million in legal costs that will be required to proceed with the legal procedures. He said the city has already spent $4.1 million in legal costs.
"We just don't know how long the legal proceedings would take, how many more years, how many more dollars would be involved in this," he said, adding a settlement will avoid years of legal proceedings.
A motion was passed to get an update every two years until the funds are collected.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
BREAKING Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife’s edge.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA, citing her mental health
Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA in November 2023, has announced she is resigning from her role, saying the decision is in the best interest of her mental health.
Putin begins his fifth term as president, more in control of Russia than ever
Vladimir Putin began his fifth term Tuesday as Russian leader at a glittering Kremlin inauguration, setting out on another six years in office after destroying his political opponents, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and concentrating all power in his hands.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.