Manitoba government rejects call for Investors Group Field audit for now
Opposition Tories call for audit, saying politics rushed completion of stadium
The Manitoba government says it's open to having an independent audit into the problems plaguing Investors Group Field, but not until after legal issues related to the stadium are dealt with.
The province's opposition Progressive Conservatives called for the independent audit on Tuesday, accusing the governing New Democrats of playing games behind the scenes.
"Was the field rushed to completion for the sake of NDP politics?" the Tories said in a news release.
In an email to CBC News, a provincial government spokesperson said, "We all agree that this project needs full transparency. Currently, there are issues before the courts and those proceedings will bring certain facts to light. We remain open to an audit at the conclusion of those proceedings."
Triple B Stadium Inc., the consortium that owns IGF and funded the construction of the 33,500-seat facility at the University of Manitoba, filed a lawsuit last week against construction company Stuart Olson and architect Ray Wan.
The lawsuit argues the home of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers is riddled with problems that will take millions of dollars to fix.
Triple B hired a Winnipeg architectural firm last summer to examine the problems, which started showing up as cracks in the concrete. A report, completed last week, concluded that "during the design and construction of the stadium there was insufficient attention to the management of water drainage and heating, poor execution of critical details and poor construction quality control."
Total government funding for the stadium was $208.5 million, including $171.5 million in loans and financing along with millions in grants and other contributions, according to the province.
“Manitobans have too many questions and too few answers. When that’s the case it makes sense to go over the deal with a fine-toothed comb to see what happened," Heather Stefanson, the PC critic for the City of Winnipeg, stated in the Tories' news release.
"We trust the minister responsible for the City of Winnipeg [NDP MLA Kevin Chief] will show equal concern and will immediately join us in calling for the independent audit.
"There is more than $200 million of tax dollars tied up in the project and it is uncertain as to how much more it will cost because of NDP mismanagement. Manitobans deserve to know what really happened."