City dismisses conflict-of-interest allegation, professionalism complaint against bike-lane consultant

A city legal-audit teamhasdismissed a conflict-of-interest allegation about the consulting team responsible for developing the Winnipeg's cycling-and-pedestrian strategy.

In 2015, Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt asked for a review of a city contract awarded to the consultants responsible for developing new bike and pedestrian routes. Wyatt complainedmost of council was unaware one of the sub-consultants, Jeannette Montufar, is married to Winnipeg transportation manager Luis Escobar.

In a report that comes before council's executive policy committee on Wednesday, a city auditor and lawyersay they are satisfied the consulting contract was awarded fairly.

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Before any bids came in, the project manageridentified thepotential conflict of interest, auditor Oiza Momohand lawyer Brian Shortt write in the report to EPC.

"One of the proposed sub-consultants was the spouse of the manager of transportation in the public works department. This presented an increased risk of favoritism in the bid submission evaluation process and the optics of the award process," they wrote.

As a result, public works removed Escobarfrom any involvement in the project, including the bid evaluation. Contract administrators were also made aware of the conflict, Momoh and Shortt write.

City auditors re-performed the bid evaluations themselves before concluding the contract was awarded fairly.

"The audit department evaluated the steps taken to address the conflict of interest risk and believes there was sufficient action and documentation to adequately address the risk," Momoh and Shortt write.

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The auditor and lawyer also cleared Montufar of further allegations made by Wyatt regarding her professionalism when the cycling and pedestrian strategy came before executive policy committee in 2015.

Montufarmade several tweets critical of people opposed the cycling and pedestrian strategy, including Wyatt.

"Sad to see that Councillor Wyatt still doesn't get it," she wrote in one tweet.

Momoh and Shorttwrite that while consultants are prohibited by contract from making public statements about work they're conducting for the city, there are no clear rules governing what subcontractors such as Montufar can say. City lawyers have revised the rules to cover sub-consultants in the future, they write.

Wyatt did not accept the report.

"What would you expect them to say, it is city bureaucrats covering up for city bureaucrats," he said Saturday in a text message to CBC.

"Independent and outside lawyers and auditors should have been brought in. This is nothing but a way for senior bureaucrats cover up there mistakes."