Police HQ roof repair to cost up to $360K
A city tender calls for a company to complete a roof replacement at 245 Smith St.
City council's finance chairman said numerous problems have emerged at the facility over the past nine years since it was converted from a former Canada Post warehouse and office tower.
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES
The new tender for repairs to Winnipeg police headquarters does not state when the current roof issue began.
'There were a number of issues that weren't … necessarily dealt with and ready on Day 1,' Coun. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan) said.
'There's one taxpayer at the end of the day, (so) Winnipeggers keep paying for it.'
The City of Winnipeg filed a statement of claim in 2018 seeking damages for alleged construction deficiencies at the headquarters from major contractor Caspian Projects and structural engineering consultant Adjeleian Allen Rubeli (AAR). The city claimed several problems became clear after police moved into the building in 2016, including a deteriorating structural slab, faulty or missing waterproofing, falling concrete, roof leaks and temperature issues.
Media and city reports in the years that followed noted heating and ventilation issues, leaky windows and cracked ceilings.
The new tender for repairs does not state when the current roof issue began. It calls for a contractor to remove, replace and reinforce parts of the roof system over the headquarters' boiler and server rooms while redirecting water towards drains.
'At this point, it's not shocking. We were sort of led to believe that this was what the police headquarters was going to cost, and time and time again, we found that there were different aspects of it that were certainly lacking,' Browaty said.
Mayor Scott Gillingham was not available for an interview Wednesday.
Winnipeg Police Board chairman Coun. Markus Chambers and the WPS referred questions to city staff members. A request to interview city staff was not granted.
In a brief email, the city did not directly state how much it has spent on repairs at the headquarters since police moved into the building or how much it expects to spend in the future.
'The city works to maintain all its buildings in operational condition. Maintenance work is undertaken as required. The bid opportunity contains all the information the city is able to provide,' city spokeswoman Tamara Forlanski wrote.
The city launched a civil suit against Caspian, AAR and dozens of other defendants in 2020, alleging a fraudulent scheme inflated the price of the project.
The allegations from that lawsuit and the construction lawsuit were not proven in court. City council approved a combined settlement of the claims in March 2023.
At the time, the terms called for the city to receive: $21.5 million if the payment was made in full within 12 months of council's approval, $22.5 million if paid within 24 months or $23.5 million if paid within 36 months. If the payment is not made within 36 months, the city would ask the Court of King's Bench to be paid $28 million.
While the city recognized 'a receivable of $22.5 million' from the settlement to help balance its 2024 budget, Forlanski confirmed no money has been paid yet.
Browaty said he remains confident the settlement money will come through.
'By a certain date, if that payment is not made, the city has the means to take property and get its settlement that way,' he said.
Weekday Mornings
A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day.
Concerns about the WPS HQ project have plagued city council for years. The building opened two years late in June 2016, at a cost of about $214 million — well above its original $135-million price tag.
An external audit later found the project had been severely mismanaged.
The RCMP conducted a lengthy investigation into fraud and forgery allegations, but no criminal charges were laid.
joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca
X: @joyanne_pursaga
Joyanne PursagaReporter
Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.
Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
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SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account And if those numbers sound bad, Canada Post itself expects the crisis to go from bad to worse as its unionized workforce continues to resist the corporation's every effort to modernize. At the same time Canada Post has been losing money hand over fist, unionized employees are demanding the status quo and pay raises. After a year and a half of negotiations and a 'final offer' from Canada Post, federal Minister of Jobs Patty Hajdu stepped in and asked the Canada Industrial Relations Board to force Canada Post's most recent offer to a vote. The offer included a 13% pay raise over four years. Yet more than two-thirds of Canada Post's unionized employees voted to reject the deal. 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