Unearthed RCMP briefing renews calls for police HQ cost probe

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This article was published 15/01/2021 (1397 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba RCMP once recommended charges and were preparing to make arrests related to the troubled Winnipeg Police Service headquarters project, an internal document indicates.

A May 2018 briefing note, which was obtained by the provincial NDP through an access to information request, notes reports to the Crown “recommended criminal charges relating to financial crimes with an estimated value of over $33 million.”

The NDP says the note’s contents show the province should seek a second expert to review the case.

“That RCMP had recommended charges be laid in a report to provincial prosecution services is new and concerning information. This was a long and complicated investigation involving very serious allegations — the province must be 100 per cent certain that charges should not be pursued,” MLA Nahanni Fontaine, party justice critic, wrote in an emailed statement.

The partially redacted document notes an RCMP probe called “Project Dalton” investigated allegations that altered documents and inflated invoices for the downtown construction project were submitted to the City of Winnipeg.

“The focus of the investigation was Caspian Construction, the general contractor for the project,” the note states, adding investigators also looked into 15 of about 50 sub-trades.

Caspian Construction did not respond to a request for comment.

The note indicates RCMP anticipated charges, but that had not been given final approval.

“Once charge approval is received, and charges laid, it is anticipated that it will take two to four weeks to upload the newly generated disclosable material to the… database, and have disclosure packages available for both Crown and defence,” it states.

In December 2019, the Manitoba Prosecution Service announced it was not authorizing criminal charges, since it found there wasn’t enough evidence to ensure “a reasonable likelihood of conviction.”

The MPS said charges of breach of trust, fraud, forgery and money laundering were considered.

Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman responded to the briefing note this week by renewing his call for a public inquiry into the headquarters project.

“I think that a lot of Winnipeggers are scratching their heads… wondering why our provincial government would not call a public inquiry,” said Bowman. “(A public inquiry is), I would argue, the greatest and most powerful measure that you could take to have public accountability.”

The city issued its request for proposal for Phase 1 of the construction management services Nov. 18, 2010.

In June 2016, the police HQ at 266 Graham Ave. opened with a cost of about $214 million, well above its original $135-million price tag. An external audit also found the project was severely mismanaged.

Bowman, first elected in fall 2014, said a public inquiry could finally answer lingering questions about the project.

“I think a public inquiry would go a long way to restoring trust and accountability with respect to this matter,” he said.

The mayor said he would support seeing the city pay for part of an inquiry’s cost, if that’s needed to see one take place.

In an email, Justice Minister Cameron Friesen wrote his government “has confidence” in the process completed by Manitoba Prosecution Service. Friesen did not indicate any additional review or inquiry will occur.

“MPS engaged in a significant process in respect of the issues surrounding the new police headquarters, conducting interviews, and reviewing documents and financials. That process concluded with the determination that a threshold was not met to proceed to charges,” he wrote.

None of the allegations has been proven in court.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga