Firearms lab in new police HQ unusable due to faulty ventilation design

The Winnipeg Police Service can't use the firearms-analysis laboratory in its new headquarters because the heating-and-ventilation system was designed improperly at the year-old downtown facility.

The police moved into their new Graham Avenue headquarters last June after the city spent $213.5 million buying the old downtown Canada Post complex and converting the warehouse portion into its new headquarters.

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A new report bypolice HQproject manager JeffDibleyand city finance manager Jason Ruby saysproblems with the heating-and-ventilation system prevented police from using their new firearms-testing lab and also hampered work at the biochemistry laboratory.

"After moving into the new HQ, the WPS identified that, although constructed correctly, design deficiencies with the HVAC[heating, ventilation and air-conditioning] system precluded use of the firearms investigative analysis section (FIAS) lab and also negatively impacted the bio/chem labs," Dibley and Ruby write in a report to city council's planning, property and development committee.

"The Winnipeg Public Service is currently reviewing the originally approvedHVACdesign and is exploring options for remuneration for the deficiencies, should it be warranted."

Right now, firearms testing is being conducted at another location.

"At present, the WPSmust complete all firearms testing offsite, which contributes to additional WPS staff time and costs for loading, unloading and transporting weapons in addition to increased risk factor in transporting seized firearms."

Problems at the new police HQ

7 years ago

Duration 1:34

The Winnipeg Police Service can't use the firearms-analysis laboratory in its new headquarters because the heating-and-ventilation system was designed improperly at the year-old downtown facility.

The city officials are asking the property committee for $751,000 to pay for repairingthe heating-and-ventilation system.

They say this must be done in time for "an upcoming Manitoba Department of Justice gun amnesty, which includes the ongoing testing of firearms."

The police headquarters project was plagued by four years of delays as well asproject cost hikes that added more than $80 million to the $135-million pricetagapproved by city council in 2009.

The planning, procurement and construction of the project was assailed by a July 2014 external audit.

The RCMP launched a formal criminal investigation into the project in December 2014 and the Mounties are still investigating allegations of construction-invoice fraud, the alleged offer of a secret commission to the project manager and an alleged secret commission paid to the city's former chief administrative officer, court documents say.

None of the allegations have been proven in court and no charges have been laid.