6 staff fired from Winnipeg's property and planning department

Six staff at Winnipeg'sproperty, planning and development department have lost their jobs for running errands and shopping on city time.

The terminations come three months after an undisclosed group paid a private investigator to videotape city inspectors conducting personal business during their shifts.

The city would not comment on who was let go or what positions they held in the department.

An investigation was launched in April and a report is in the worksto the city's acting chief administrative officer on potentially more disciplinary measures for staff, which could range from prescribed training to termination.

Staff are already required to fill out daily logs tracking their hours, where they go, appointments andbreak times.

• City interviewed nearly 70 employees during inspectors investigation
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The chair of the city's property and planning committee says the terminations show the city is taking the investigation seriously, but is critical of the administration for not keeping councillors informed of the decisions.

Councillor Brian Mayes says he found out about the disciplinary action from someone on the street, who'd heard about it throughthe media.

"I went home and walked the dog over the lunch hour [and] the second person I saw said, 'Hey, you guys fired six inspectors.' So they're getting their information in the same way I am," Mayes told reporters Friday afternoon.

Mayes, who wouldn't comment or confirm who was let go, says the administration should brief the politicians in advance.

• 'Trust has left the room,' says head of property planning and development

"I have some concerns about that, so I intend to get some answers about how this has been communicated internally," he said.

Mayes says he's satisfied the head of the property and planning department is getting to the bottom of problems with the inspectors.

The city has reviewed 80,000 documents and 1,500 daily work inspection sheets, done upwards of 100 interviews and looked through driving logs, video and other materials provided by the secret group that first came forward with the allegations.