Coun. Janice Lukes trying to muster support to suspend Winnipeg's top bureaucrat

Coun. Janice Lukesis trying to convince her colleagues to suspend Winnipeg chief administrative officer Doug McNeilin the wake of outstanding questions about the Sterling Lyon Parkway extension.

The South Winnipeg-St. Norbert councillor wants city council to hold a Jan. 5 special meetingaboutthe performance of the city's top bureaucrat, who been criticizedfor the way the city has handled the planning of a future freeway through semi-rural land south of Wilkes Avenue.

"I believe it is prudent to suspend the CAO for 30 days to seek additional answers," Lukes said in an email sent to her colleagues on Dec. 22, in which she claims McNeil has not been forthcoming in his responses to questions posed by council duringa closed-door seminar on Dec. 18.

• City CAO told about Sterling Lyon expropriations a year ago, confidential briefing note says
• Mayor says he remains confident in CAO Doug McNeil
• CAO emerges from 'great' seminar with council facing renewed criticism over Sterling Lyon Parkway

McNeilis on the hot seat because hesaidhe was surprised to learn this October that Winnipeg's public works department studied a route that differed from three options presented to area residents in January 2016.

CBC News then obtained a November 2016 briefing note, authored by former public works director Lester Deane, that included drawings of the route in question as well as a plea to make it public before the city issued more building permits in the area.

McNeil said he did not read those attachments, earning criticism from several councillors as well as Deane, who claimed the CAO's office authorized his department to study the route in question.

• Former public works director breaks silence, calls Sterling Lyon Parkway claims 'laughable'

Lukes said she wants McNeil to explain that discrepancy, as well as why he does not read attachments on confidential briefing notes. She says fewer than a dozen are issued over the course of a year.

She also said she wants to know why the Sterling Lyon Parkway project was placed on hold twice between 2015 and 2017.

"I think there's a lot of questions we need answered,"Lukessaid Thursday. "There's not really any accountability in any of this."

Exodus of engineers

The councillor also said she is concerned that three city transportation engineers, in addition toDeane, have left the city thisyear.Transportation manager Luis Escobarresigned in September, while Sterling Lyon Parkway extension project director Scott Suderman and his successor Stephen Chapman resigned in November.

• 'We have a huge problem,' councillor says after 3rd transportation engineer quits

"I think there's a lot more to this," Lukessaid.

A total of nine signatures would be required to trigger a special meeting of Winnipeg's 16-member council. On paper, that means Lukesneeds to convince eight of her colleagues that suspending McNeilis the correct course of action.

In practice, that would be difficult. Even ifevery other member of council's unofficial opposition and council speaker Devi Sharma (Old Kildonan) sign on to the plan, Lukeswould still needtwo members of "EPC+ 2," the de facto governing party at city hall, which voteswith Mayor Brian Bowman.

A spokesperson for Mayor Brian Bowmansignalled the mayor would not support a special council meeting.

• Coun. MartyMorantzto call audit into Sterling Lyon Parkway extension

Coun. Marty Morantzintends to call for an audit that should answer outstanding questions about the Sterling Lyon Parkway extension,Bowman press secretary Jeremy Davis said in a statement.

"The mayor believes the audit process would be the appropriate next step and supports a review by the city auditor," Davis said.

He also noted theCAOwill undergo an evaluation by a panel of citycouncillorsin 2018.

A spokesperson for McNeilsaid the CAOdeclined to comment, other than acknowledging a performance evaluation is pending.

"Council has a formal process in place to evaluate the city's four statutory officers, which includes theCAO," Winnipeg communications manager DavidDriedgersaid Thursday in a statement.

Winnipeg'sother three statutory officers officials who report directly to city council are chief financial officer MikeRuta, city auditor BryanManskyand city clerk RichardKachur.

Lukes questioned how a panel of councillors can review McNeil's performance while questions about the Sterling Lyon Parkway extension remain unanswered.

She also noted Morantz has yet to call his audit or even circulate a draft version of the motion he intends to table at executive policy committee in January.

Janice Lukes trying to muster support to suspend Winnipeg's top bureaucrat

7 years ago

Duration 1:58

Coun. Janice Lukes is trying to convince her colleagues to suspend Winnipeg chief administrative officer Doug McNeil in the wake of outstanding questions about the Sterling Lyon Parkway extension.