Three city building inspectors have been suspended without pay and three others have quit as the City of Winnipeg continues to investigate allegations that some employees were slacking off at work.
The suspensions come after the city agreed to pay $18,000 for private surveillance video allegedly showing city employees running personal errands, shopping and even working out at the gym during paid hours.
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"We want to make sure people are being held accountable,"said Mayor Brian Bowman.
The city said three building inspectors have been suspended without pay pending the outcome of an internal investigation. Winnipeg’s director of human resources Angie Cusson said two others involved have quit and another retired.
“We expect that number will increase,” said Cusson, who noted that more punishment could come as early as next week.
The city’s internal probe included 80,000 entries into the property department’s system, 1,500 daily inspection sheets and mileage, 65 employee files, and 80 interviews with employees.
However, Cusson noted that the video surveillance was helpful in the investigation.
The video surveillance, captured by a private investigator, was paid for by a group of anonymous citizens fed up with the length of time it was taking to get building inspections done. A private eye gathered footage of the alleged employees between January and March.
CTV News has not independently verified the videos.
“We’re happy that the City of Winnipeg has used their information, we think in a wise way,” John Prystanski, a lawyer representing the anonymous group of citizens involved in the private investigation told CTV News.
“The group is looking for full disclosure. We would like to see exactly what they’re doing, what they’ve done, and how they made their decisions.”
Since the scandal, the city has made changes requiring employees to submit a list of daily appointments and plans to implement more detailed tracking methods.
The city said the investigation is set to wrap up later this month followed by a final report with disciplinary results and recommendations for improvements.
