3 accused of misconduct in Winnipeg police inquiry can’t be compelled to testify: commissioner

Three people accused of misconduct over the $214-million renovation for Winnipeg’s police headquarters can’t be compelled to testify in the inquiry probing the matter.

Three people accused of misconduct over the $214-million renovation for Winnipeg’s police headquarters can’t be compelled to testify in the inquiry probing the matter.

Garth Smorang, commissioner for the Winnipeg Police Service Headquarters Inquiry, said those individuals no longer live in Manitoba.

“My ability to compel a witness to testify by way of subpoena pursuant to The Manitoba Evidence Act only extends to witnesses who can be served with a subpoena in the province of Manitoba,” Smorang said in his interim report.

“Three individuals who were served with confidential notices of alleged misconduct reside out of the province and as such cannot be subpoenaed to compel their attendance. Thus far none of these individuals has indicated that they will voluntarily attend to testify.”

The individuals, who were not named in the report, are among several who were formally served with a notice of alleged misconduct stemming from the renovation of the Winnipeg Police Service Headquarters on 245 Smith St.

The inquiry, announced last year, will examine the 2009 purchase and conversion of a former Canada Post building. It required extensive renovations, which were projected to cost $135 million.

By the time the project was completed in 2016, the final cost came in $79 million over budget.

The project was mired in controversy and the city filed a lawsuit against several people, including its former chief administrative officer, Phil Sheegl. A judge in civil court found Sheegl accepted a $327,000 bribe from a contractor.