City of Winnipeg could pay $7M to settle wrongful conviction lawsuits

The City of Winnipeg could be paying $7M to settle a trio of wrongful imprisonment claims.

A new motion at a City of Winnipeg committee is revealing that the city is planning to pay millions of dollars to settle a trio of wrongful conviction lawsuits.

A motion in the city’s Executive Policy Committee agenda shows the city is preparing to pay $7 million dollars to Brian Anderson, Allan Woodhouse and Clarence Woodhouse, three Indigenous men who were wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for the murder of Ting Fong Chan.

Chan was beaten and stabbed to death outside of a construction site in downtown Winnipeg in 1973. Brian Anderson, Allan Woodhouse, Clarence Woodhouse and Russell Woodhouse – who died in 2011 - were all convicted in the death.

Anderson, Allan and Clarence were all exonerated in 2023 and 2024 after courts reviewed their case and found systemic discrimination took place. Federal Justice Minister Sean Fraser recently ordered a post-mortem review of Russell’s conviction.

The public service said the money would be used to settle the suit, which alleges false arrests, a negligent investigation and human rights violations took place.

The report said the city is in talks with its insurance provider about coverage, but the payout is likely to be less than the settlement amount.

The provincial and federal governments are also named in the lawsuit.

Mayor Scott Gillingham said Wednesday he intends to vote in favour of the motion.

“My intention right now is to vote in favour of that, because that’s what the courts have said, and so the city has an obligation to make good on what the courts have instructed us to do,” he said.

The motion will be discussed when the committee meets on Oct. 21.