23°c Partly cloudy
18°c Cloudy periods
Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Auditors to include police headquarters contract in review
Artist's rendering of the new Winnipeg Police Headquarters on Graham Avenue between Smith Street and Garry Street. This view shows the corner of Smith Street and St. Mary Avenue. . (SUBMITTED)
Winnipeg's chief administrative officer said the city hired Dunmore Corporation to manage the construction of the new police headquarters because of its expertise from the football stadium construction.
This afternoon, CAO Phil Sheegl responded to concerns raised by former mayoral advisor Brian Kelcey, who alleged city officials may have violated procurement rules when they awarded Dunmore Corporation the contract to manage construction of the new police headquarters.
Dunmore Corporation's president is Ossama AbouZeid, who also oversaw construction of Investors Group Field, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers' new football stadium at the University of Manitoba.
In a letter to council, Kelcey said the city's policy is to tender consultant contracts that exceed $100,000, but a recent city financial report suggests Winnipeg's public service sole-sourced a contract to Dunmore and paid the company $262,580 in fees to manage the police headquarters redevelopment. The letter also raised concern Adjeleian Allan Rubeli, an Ottawa engineering firm hired to help manage the headquarters project, has been paid $4.5 million. The city initially sole-sourced a contract to Adjeleian Allan Rubeli for a fee that was not to exceed $2.6 million, Kelcey's letter states.
Sheegl said Dunmore was not hired as a consultant, and was providing a service of managing the construction. He said AbouZeid was just completing work on the stadium and the headquarters' design was well underway and the city was working to guarantee a maximum price on the construction so it doesn't spiral out of control.
Sheegl said it would've taken weeks to tender a contract and bring someone up to speed.
"I'm the chair of BBB Stadium and watched him hands-on and the great work that he did there and he comes highly recommended," he said, following council's last meeting of 2012.
Sheegl also clarified that there was no cost overruns related to the Ottawa-based engineering firm. He said Adjeleian Allan Rubeli completed the work they were paid $2.6-million to do. There was a change in the scope of their work, Sheegl said, and the firm was also paid to complete the work a previous engineering firm did not finish because they parted ways with the city.
He said it was money that was within the city's budget, and there were no cost overruns.
"Dr. AbouZeid was just completing his work on the stadium and did a great job there so we retained him," Sheegl said.
City auditors will review contracts awarded to manage the police headquarters construction in the ongoing investigation into Winnipeg real-estate deals.
This afternoon, finance chairman Coun. Russ Wyatt (Transcona) confirmed City of Winnipeg auditor Brian Whiteside will include concerns raised about contracts related to the new police headquarters in the broader city real-estate audit.
"This will be part of the work they're doing as part of the real-estate audit and it will be given a priority," Wyatt said.
History
Updated on Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 10:25 AM CST: Updates with Sheegl comments.
1:42 PM: Updates with comments from finance chairman Coun. Russ Wyatt.
3:49 PM: updates with full writethru
3:59 PM: Corrects headline.
Fact Check
Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.
More Latest News
- Back to Top
- Return to Latest News
More Latest News
(1 of 48 articles for today)
'Shocking' half of First Nations kids living in poverty, new study finds
9:32 PM 0TORONTO — Half of Canada's First Nations children are living in poverty, triple the national average, according to a new ...
Poll
Most Popular Latest News
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- Child in critical condition after West End crash
- Winnipeg man given 2-year sentence for coma-inducing 'sucker punch'
- Court told driver hysterical after vehicle fatally hit highway worker
- Man convicted of drunk driving in Henderson pile-up
- Teen on train tracks from York Landing
- McMunn & Yates absorbs five McDiarmid locations
- California 'Night Stalker' serial killer Richard Ramirez dies at 53
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- At 55, I'm wise to what's real in life
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- Winnipeg man given 2-year sentence for coma-inducing 'sucker punch'
- RCMP say woman deliberately murdered her sister with her car
- Child in critical condition after West End crash
- Toronto woman dead in rural Manitoba ATV wreck
- Manitoba restaurant stops selling giant hamburger "for obvious reasons"
- Bomber fans wowed by new stadium
- Portage Ave. stretch re-opens after Friday-night bomb scare
- Man convicted of drunk driving in Henderson pile-up
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Hailstorm wreaks havoc on Winnipeg garden centre
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Two people killed in crash north of Winnipeg
- Two Winnipeg teens identified as victims of crash
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- Father, daughter seriously injured in ATV crash
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Filipino singer Charice comes out as lesbian; Catholic official says she's in identity crisis
- At 55, I'm wise to what's real in life
- Basic arithmetic back in class
- Craig Ferguson adds second show
- Make it look natural; companies work to make packaged foods appear homespun
- McMunn & Yates absorbs five McDiarmid locations
- Teens can join Let It Out Summer Rock Camp
- Daycare-subsidy rules bad for business
- City-wide average mosquito count drops
- Scientists meet to discuss weird British weather, say soggy summers likely for a few years
- New Flyer awarded Atlanta bus contract
- App could give Winnipeggers chance to report bad parking, get paid
- At 55, I'm wise to what's real in life
- Sobeys gobbles up Safeway
- Priest kept silent about accusations against Storheim, court hears
- Manitoba restaurant stops selling giant hamburger "for obvious reasons"
- Basic arithmetic back in class
- Geothermal heat coming to some Manitoba First Nations
- Spiralling cost of land raises new home prices
- Jaimie Creasy becomes first woman to graduate from RRC with degree
- Yaz and Yasmin pills linked to 23 deaths, say Health Canada documents
- New owner for lumber stores
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- Door openers being used to break into garages, police warn
- Province formally opens Mental Health Crisis Response Centre
- Hailstorm wreaks havoc on Winnipeg garden centre
- New rules let customers cancel phone contracts without penalty after two years
- App could give Winnipeggers chance to report bad parking, get paid
- At 55, I'm wise to what's real in life
- MTS to sell Allstream to Egyptian investment group, focus on Manitoba market
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
Have Your Say
Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscribers only. why?
Login SubscribeHave Your Say
Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press Subscribers only. why?
SubscribeThe Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.