City of Winnipeg's $18K payment to secret group amounts to extortion, union alleges

The city's payment to a secret group for a copy of a private investigation into its own employees amounts to extortion, the union representing property inspectors says.

"It's extorting $18,000 from taxpayers unnecessarily," said Gord Delbridge, president of CUPE Local 500.

In April, a secret group said it paid private investigators to spy on 17 building inspectors during business hours. They allege 16 of the workers stole time by taking long lunch breaks, running errands and conducting other personal business.

Delbridge says the city wasted $18,000 when it paid the unknown group for materials, including DVD footage, because the investigators do not know whether employees have special work arrangements. 

"This private investigator has no insight, whatsoever, into the inner workings of the City of Winnipeg," he said. 

CBC received the investigator's report but has not verified the material. The city is currently conducting an internal investigation in response to the allegations. 

John Prystanski, the lawyer representing the secret group, denies his client or clients are extorting the city.

"There's no extortion. We responded to the City of Winnipeg's offer," he said.

Prystanski says an official with the City of Winnipeg offered to reimburse the secret group, through the media, to cover the cost of the private investigation. CBC has, so far, been unable to verify the claim.

On Thursday, Michael Jack, Winnipeg's chief operating officer, said it was Prystanski's client or clients who raised the issue of compensation. 

Delbridge is calling on the secret group to reveal its identity — and said, if not, CUPE will try and reveal who's behind it.

"I think our members have the right to face their accuser," he said.

CUPE is requesting the City of Winnipeg to share a copy of the report with the public sector union.