Gillingham calls to study ‘lessons learned’ on over-budget, delayed sewage treatment plant
Winnipeg’s finance committee chair is asking the city if lessons can be learned from one city project saddled with delays and cost overruns to not repeat the same mistakes on a similar project.
St. James Councillor Scott Gillingham submitted the motion to the standing policy committee on finance. It notes the original budget to upgrade and expand the South End Sewage Treatment Plant was $335.6 million, but has since increased $16.5 million to cover contract administration, construction contingency, increased transportation costs and more. As a result, the project is now behind schedule and over budget.
Gillingham believes there are lessons to be learned as the city heads into the next phases to upgrade the North End Sewage Treatment Plant.
“It is a matter of identifying what went wrong and if possible, can those repeats be avoided on the North End plant,” Gillingham told CTV News Winnipeg.
This plant will be completed in three phases, and comes with a price tag of $1.8 billion – the biggest capital project the city has undertaken so far.
The upgrades include new raw sewage pumps, plate screens, grit washing units, and other improvements. These investments will help lengthen the sewage plant’s service life, support population and economic growth, and create a stronger, cleaner and more environmentally sustainable community.
“With a $1.8 billion North End plant project, we really have to do all we can at the outset to make sure that those phases don’t go over budget, and those phases are completed on time,” he said.
Gillingham’s motion will be considered at a standing policy committee on finance meeting on Dec. 9.
- With files from CTV News Winnipeg’s Kayla Rosen
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.