18°c A few clouds
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Fire-station costs stay in spotlight
Mayor warns of need for more money
Fire and Paramedic Station No. 11 under construction on Portage Avenue. (JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES) Photo Store
MAYOR Sam Katz says the cost of building a new fire-paramedic station on Portage Avenue will continue grow if council doesn't promptly approve a request for $2.2 million in additional funding.
On Nov. 7, city council's executive policy committee will consider a plan to draw cash in advance from the 2013 capital budget to cover cost overruns at Station No. 11, the last of four new fire-paramedic stations built under a beleaguered city program.
Earlier this week, council's protection and community services committee refused to agree to the plan, as the advance would delay the replacement of three other aging fire-paramedic stations.
On Tuesday, Katz did not say which way he will vote next week but suggested council has no choice but to agree to advance more money for the station, which now comes with a $6.5-million price tag.
"If we don't find the money to complete Station 11, sooner than later, it's just going to cost us more money because the winter will come. There'll be heating and hoarding (costs)," Katz told reporters.
The report heading to EPC next week suggests the cost of the new station increased $2.2 million due to scope changes. But Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Chief Reid Douglas told reporters Monday the design of the station has been in place since early 2011 and construction delays led to the cost increase at Station No. 11.
Katz said he will wait until Nov. 7 to ask Douglas what caused the cost to increase. The mayor said he also plans to ask the chief other questions about Station No. 11, which is partly completed despite the absence of a contract to build anything other than its foundation.
Winnipeg chief administrative officer Phil Sheegl and chief operations officer Deepak Joshi said developer Shindico and construction company Precon have been paid less than $1 million to build the station's foundation. The partly built tower and walls at the station have risen without a contract, at the developer's risk, they said.
Katz said he has no issue with construction taking place without a contract.
"I think the private sector is certainly putting their faith in city hall," the mayor said. "My understanding is they had a contract award for the foundation and now they're acting in good faith."
No contract award for Station No. 11 appears on the city's materials management website. The contract awards for the three other new stations -- in Sage Creek, Charleswood and River Heights -- were posted on the site in August after reporters began asking about Station No. 12 on Taylor Avenue.
On Aug. 31, Sheegl told reporters all four new stations had fixed budgets and timelines. Earlier this week, however, Douglas said he learned of cost overruns at Station No. 11 on Aug. 9 and promptly informed chief financial officer Mike Ruta.
Douglas said it was possible Sheegl was not made aware of the cost increase in August. Sheegl said he learned of the increase in late August.
City council finance chairman Scott Fielding (St. James-Brooklands), whose ward includes Station No. 11, said he is concerned about the emergence of more questions about the fire-paramedic station replacement program.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 31, 2012 B1
More Latest News
- Back to Top
- Return to Latest News
More Latest News
(1 of 24 articles for today)
Community's children apprehended by province
1:00 AMAn Old Order Mennonite community in Manitoba has reportedly had all but one of their children apprehended by Child and ...
Poll
Most Popular Latest News
- Court told driver hysterical after vehicle fatally hit highway worker
- Child in critical condition after West End crash
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- Teen on train tracks from York Landing
- Winnipeg man given 2-year sentence for coma-inducing 'sucker punch'
- Man convicted of drunk driving in Henderson pile-up
- Mountie hospitalized, dog euthanized after crash near Saskatoon
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- McMunn & Yates absorbs five McDiarmid locations
- Daycare-subsidy rules bad for business
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- Court told driver hysterical after vehicle fatally hit highway worker
- Child in critical condition after West End crash
- Winnipeg man given 2-year sentence for coma-inducing 'sucker punch'
- RCMP say woman deliberately murdered her sister with her car
- 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
- 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
- Heat wave hits Alaska, with temps topping 26 degrees in Anchorage
- Basic arithmetic back in class
- McMunn & Yates absorbs five McDiarmid locations
- Craig Ferguson adds second show
- Teens can join Let It Out Summer Rock Camp
- At 55, I'm wise to what's real in life
- Daycare-subsidy rules bad for business
- Court told driver hysterical after vehicle fatally hit highway worker
- Suspect arrested after North End sex assault
- Youths charged in fatal shooting of chief's grandson, 5, on Alberta reserve
- At 55, I'm wise to what's real in life
- App could give Winnipeggers chance to report bad parking, get paid
- 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
- Heat wave hits Alaska, with temps topping 26 degrees in Anchorage
- Rogers and MTS announce new network sharing agreement
- 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.