Councillor says request for inquiry is politically motivated

In a 15 to 1 vote Winnipeg City Council has voted to request the province hold an inquiry into the construction of the Winnipeg Police headquarters as well a various real-estate deals made by the city.

The new police headquarters construction is the subject of an RCMP active investigation. Caspian Construction, the project contractors had their offices raided by police looking for evidence of bill tampering. There have also been a number of allegations about secret payoffs made to former mayor Sam Katz and  a senior city official as part of that deal. 

Mayor Bowman wants the scope of an inquiry to also include the land deal related to new Fire Paramedic stations in the city. 

Councillor Janice Lukes voted against the request for an inquiry because she felt it was premature and politically motivated. She says she supports the idea but wants the investigation by police to be completed before an inquiry takes place.

The province will not commit to an inquiry and have said recently that they will wait for the facts to come to light from the RCMP investigation before making any decision.

-News4 Staff-

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