Winnipeg’s former CAO files appeal of court ruling to pay city $1.1 million

Winnipeg’s former chief administrative officer is appealing a decision by a Winnipeg judge that ordered him to pay $1.1 million to the city.

Lawyers for Phil Sheegl filed the appeal on Monday, calling for a dismissal of the decision made by a Court of Queen’s Bench judge in March. During the ruling, a judge ruled Sheegl accepted a $327,000 bribe from the contractor involved with the construction of the city’s police headquarters.

“The learned judge failed to properly exercise his discretion and the decision is clearly wrong and amounts to an injustice,” the appeal states.

The city was suing Sheegl and two dozen other defendants over the construction of the downtown police headquarters that went tens of millions of dollars over budget.

Sheegl was ordered to pay the city $1.1 million, which included legal costs, severance paid to Sheegl, and punitive costs.

The judge awarded the city legal costs, the $250,000 paid to Sheegl in severance plus interest, as well as punitive costs of $100,000.

The appeal alleges the judge “failed to draw appropriate inferences from the relevant facts, failed to consider relevant facts and erroneously considered irrelevant facts in arriving at the decision,” and claims the judge, “erred in making findings of credibility on the evidence adduced by the plaintiff.”

The appeal also alleges the judge relied exclusively on the affidavits of current city CAO Michael Jack, “who had no knowledge whatsoever of the facts in this litigation.”

Sheegl’s lawyers are asking the court to set aside or reverse the ruling in the case.

In a statement, the City of Winnipeg said it will oppose the appeal.

-with files from CTV’s Jeff Keele and Kayla Rosen