Former Mayor Sam Katz and former City of Winnipeg CAO Phil Sheegl are expected to testify at the inquiry examining the Downtown police headquarters project. Day one of the proceedings got underway Wednesday, where Commissioner Garth Smorang outlined the five phases of the inquiry. Phase one in February will cover redevelopment of the former Canada Post building, and phase two in March will look at the “money trail.” Phases three, four and five, between April and June, will deal with the city’s policies and practices, recommendations for change, and final submissions. Lawyers representing Katz and Sheegl applied for standing for the redevelopment phase, meaning they would like to participate in that portion of the inquiry. The commissioner granted their requests. Heather Leonoff, the legal counsel for the inquiry, said one can anticipate Katz and Sheegl will be taking the stand. “As you saw today, they both have counsel here today, and that is a good indication that both of them will be testifying,” said Leonoff. Leonoff also said the commissioner can call witnesses to testify. Others also asked for and received standing, including the general contractor for the project, Caspian Construction, as well as the city and the Winnipeg Police Service. Thirty witnesses over 44 days are set to testify during the $2 million inquiry called by Premier Wab Kinew. The police headquarters project went tens of millions of dollars over budget. In court documents, the RCMP alleged the city was the victim of a multi-million dollar fraud. A civil court found Sheegl accepted a $327,000 bribe related to the project and ordered him to pay $1.1 million to the city. The city also settled two lawsuits it filed against Caspian and others for $21.5 million.
