Winnipeg police get December move-in date for much-delayed HQ
CBC News | Posted: September 17, 2015 7:41 PM | Last Updated: September 17, 2015
Conversion of former Canada Post building on Graham Avenue tangled in problems
The Winnipeg Police Service's long wait to move into their new downtown headquarters is set for "late fall" as construction workers install more backup systems.
City staff told the finance committee Thursday that a Dec. 15 possession date has been set for the new headquarters. That was echoed in a press release from the Winnipeg Police Service later in the day.
The city effectively got the keys to the renovated building in mid-July, but a review by a consultant of the building's safeguards — both electrical and fire suppression — called for more work.
- Audit finds 'gaps' in way City of Winnipeg handled police HQ
- City of Winnipeg gives conflicting dates on police HQ project
- Opening of new Winnipeg Police HQ delayed... again
City CAO Doug McNeil told CBC News he has been receiving weekly reports from police officials and engineers involved in the project, and he's satisfied with the progress.
The police headquarters requires a high level of safeguards to ensure it never goes down, and the consultant ordered the addition of backups for some electrical systems and sprinklers, McNeil said.
No indication why backup systems left out
McNeil said he "can't comment on why these systems weren't already in place," but added "there is always something overlooked" on major projects. He said he's confident the building will be ready for the police service in December.
Dec. 15 is the latest in a list of possession dates that now stretch back nearly two years. The new headquarters was first scheduled to open in January 2014, but that was postponed to June and then fall, then a few weeks later, then summer 2015 and then fall 2015.
For those counting, the December date is the seventh on the list.
Finance chair Marty Morantz told reporters getting a target date is something of a relief, and it was the first question he asked Thursday of city staffers connected to the project.
"After so many years of building and so much taxpayers' dollars going into the project, people of Winnipeg want to know when the police are moving in, and I am basically satisfied with the response," he said.
Police HQ project frustrating, Morantz admits
"I'm as frustrated as every citizen is and I think the police are frustrated as well. I think everybody would like to have seen this go better. The reality is, this is the date we have to work with now."
Numerous cost overruns have caused the original $135-million price tag to balloon to $210 million.
The project — a conversion of the former Canada Post building on Graham Avenue — has been tangled in problems. It is more than $75 million over budget, was flooded by an August downpour, and is part of an RCMP criminal investigation amid reports of doctored invoices.
The building has been redeveloped to "as-new" condition and will provide 630,925 square feet of space to house 14 divisions of the police service, the news release from city hall said. The building has an estimated useful life of 50 years.