Winnipeg's chief administrative officer says the city has no reliable estimate of what it would cost to extend Sterling Lyon Parkway along a route favoured by Coun. Marty Morantz, despite council preparing to consider the plan.

In a letter to all members of council on Monday, CAO Doug McNeil also says the alignment favoured by the councillor for Charleswood-Tuxedo-Whyte Ridge may require the city to expropriate more properties than the route rejected by Morantz.

On Wednesday, city council's executive policy committee will consider a Morantz motion that will compel the city to extend Sterling Lyon Parkway west along Wilkes Avenue to a future southern extension of William Clement Parkway.

Morantz asked council's public works committee last week to approve this route over a Sterling Lyon extension that would have run south of Wilkes Avenue, because dozens of property owners in the area were surprised and upset at the prospect of losing all or part of their land.

On Oct. 31, McNeil said the Morantz alignment would cost the city more money. This led councillors Janice Lukes (South Winnipeg-St. Norbert), Devi Sharma (Old Kildonan) and Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan) to ask the CAO to state precisely how much more money this will cost.

In his email to all members of council, McNeil said he has no accurate estimate of the route favoured by Morantz and the project has been placed on hold, pending a council vote.

"I have taken a lot of time over the past couple of weeks to take an in depth examination of this project and the work that had been done," McNeil said in the email to councillors. "I'm not confident that the estimates that exist are even to a Class 5," he said, referring to a project estimate of insufficient accuracy to create a budget.

McNeil went on to say "the only option that has a reliable cost" was the route preferred by public works staff and consulting firm WSP, which the CAO describes as "an option that was never properly presented to the community for consideration and discussion."

The route south of Wilkes Avenue came with a cost estimate of $85 million, within a range of 20 per cent less than this figure or 30 per cent more, or $68 million to $111 million, McNeil told councillors in his email

"This option would require the partial or complete acquisition of 48 residential/agricultural properties," McNeil writes. "However, we have very clearly heard that this [is] an option that is not preferred by area residents or the area councillor and will not be further explored."

McNeil said the city ought to further explore a Wilkes Avenue alignment that does not have a cost estimate. Consulting firm WSP studied one such alignment — which is not same as the route proposed by Morantz — and came up with a loose estimate of $92 million, within within a range of 50 per cent less than this figure or 100 per cent more, which works out to $46 million to $184 million.

That route would have required the city to expropriate 60 properties — 12 more than the alignment forwarded by public works.

"This option would require the partial or complete acquisition of 50 residential/agricultural properties and 10 commercial properties," McNeil said.

'Everyone should be suspicious'

Morantz said he does not hold much stock in any of the cost projections.

"Everyone should be suspicious of these estimates," the councillor said via email, characterizing the option developed by city staff and consulting firm WSP as a "secret, rogue option that wasn't even supposed to exist."

Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman echoed those concerns.

"It's not accurate to suggest that one route is more expensive or less because the only estimate that we have … is on this alternate route that came out of left field," Bowman said.

"Things got off track. The public service and the consultant ultimately pursued ... an actual estimate on another route that nobody had seen or indicated they preferred. So what council is trying to do right now is get things back on track so that we can get a cost estimate."

But Morantz said he nonetheless intends to vote in favour of his motion and will encourage all members of EPC to do the same.

"The bottom line is that I continue to fully support the residents in my ward and will do everything I can to ensure a four-lane roadway is not driven through their neighbourhood," Morantz said.

Morantz shouldn't be surprised: Coun. Browaty

While this Wilkes alignment is not the same one as the route proposed by Morantz, the prospect of acquiring even more private property makes it unlikely for the city to ever pursue the Sterling Lyon Parkway extension, said North Kildonan Coun. Browaty.

"That's even more properties that are considered under the option recommended from the public service and the consulting firm," Browaty said in a telephone interview. "I'm curious to know if those residents were consulted"

Browaty also said he is curious to know how Morantz was surprised by the southern option when every member of council — including the councillor for Charleswood-Tuxedo-Whyte Ridge — voted in December 2014 to approve a Sterling Lyon Parkway study that called for the roadway to be moved south of Wilkes Avenue.

"I would be expecting the councillor to be receiving constant and regular updates on this file," Browaty said.

Morantz could not be reached immediately for comment.

Coun. Lukes, who has been at odds with McNeil for almost a year, expressed annoyance with the CAO on this file.

"Multiple councillors are asking to have a council seminar to ask questions — to hear questions that other councillors may ask — and to understand the transportation implications and cost of Morantz's motion," the councillor said in a statement.

"In this era of openness and transparency, we are sent only an email from the CAO, which only raises more questions," she added.

"The mayor has his votes and is showing a complete disregard and lack of respect for the other elected officials by not even allowing for meaningful conversation."

Bowman reiterated that updated estimates are needed before council can make an informed decision.

"Let's also be clear: you shouldn't expect to see money in this coming budget for this, but we do need to get things back on the right track and reset, as it's been characterized, so we can get those numbers more accurate going forward," he said.

Executive policy committee votes on the motion on Wednesday. Council as a whole votes on the plan on Nov. 15.