Inquiry will examine Winnipeg construction project mired in controversy

The Manitoba government is launching an enquiry into the operation of the constabulary office successful Winnipeg — a task that ran implicit fund and was the taxable of lawsuits and a constabulary probe.

The authorities has appointed lawyer Garth Smorang to find ways to reconstruct nationalist assurance successful the city’s large-scale operation projects.

As the enquiry commissioner, Smorang is tasked with looking astatine the actions of erstwhile elected officials and elder employees of the City of Winnipeg.

The metropolis purchased a Canada Post gathering successful downtown Winnipeg and converted it into a caller office for the Winnipeg Police Service.

The task ran $79 cardinal implicit fund connected its completion successful 2016, and led to a suit by the metropolis against its erstwhile main administrative officer.

There was besides an RCMP probe that, aft 5 years, concluded with prosecutors deciding not to laic charges, citing an unlikelihood of conviction.

The NDP authorities has budgeted $2 cardinal for the inquiry, which is to wrapper up successful 2027.

“Taxpayer dollars request to beryllium spent transparently and Manitobans merit to cognize the truth,” Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said successful a property merchandise Tuesday.

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“An enquiry into the constabulary office task volition assistance reconstruct nationalist spot and confidence, and its recommendations volition guarantee champion practices are utilized to forestall akin mistakes from being repeated.”