Winnipeg City Council will consider a new approach to increase transparency and strengthen oversight of major infrastructure projects by formally incorporating advice from the City’s Chief Construction Officer into Council discussions and decisions.
During the 2022 election, Mayor Scott Gillingham committed to bringing independent construction expertise directly to Council to support better decision-making on major projects. Delivering on that commitment, City Council hired Tom Sparrow as Canada’s first municipal Chief Construction Officer (CCO) in April 2025. The role reports to Council on construction management and risk – a safeguard informed by lessons learned from the Winnipeg Police Service headquarters project.
“Independent expertise makes us better," said Gillingham. "This gives Council a clear way to get the Chief Construction Officer’s advice into the open on major projects, like the North End Sewage Treatment Plant. That’s good for transparency and good for taxpayers.”
If approved, the proposed process would:
- Provide a clear path for the Chief Construction Officer’s written and/or oral advice to be made public for major projects, as part of Council’s consideration.
- Allow Council committees to request independent advice from the Chief Construction Officer on specific construction management issues.
The proposed changes build on other improvements the City has made in recent years to strengthen oversight, accountability, and value-for-money on major capital projects.
Councillor Janice Lukes, Chair of the Public Works Committee, said Sparrow’s input is already helping Council to ask better questions and find opportunities for improvement. She noted that Sparrow’s job description keeps him independent from final project bid decisions, “so he is free to be a channel for bidder feedback and even to drum up more bids to make our tenders more competitive.”
Sparrow was hired following a search led by a group of councillors, including Brian Mayes and Shawn Dobson, and the late Jason Schreyer. He brings decades of experience overseeing major construction projects in both the public and private sectors and was recruited to Winnipeg from Victoria, BC.
The report will be considered by Executive Policy Committee on February 17, 2026.