National Breaking News

The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION

Fire at tax centre in Winnipeg interrupts work at busiest time of year

By: The Canadian Press

Saturday, Mar. 2, 2013 at 3:34 PM | Comments: 0

WINNIPEG - Canada Revenue Agency employees will face a backlog of extra work on Monday after a fire at the regional tax centre in Winnipeg forced a weekend shift to evacuate.

Firefighters say they were called to the tax centre on Saturday morning.

Revenue agency spokesman Kevin Lloyd says about 85 people were in the building processing tax returns.

Lloyd says the fire was sparked by contractors who were working at the front entrance and that the flames spread underneath the floor.

He says smoke filled the building, but little damage was done and everyone got out safely.

He says no tax records were damaged but workers won't be returning to the building until Monday.

"As you can imagine, we're getting busier this time of year. It's tax filing season so it's not unusual to have staff that would be working on the weekend," Lloyd said.

The centre handles individual and business returns for Alberta, northern Saskatchewan, Manitoba and large parts of southern Ontario.

Lloyd said the next scheduled shift would have come in Sunday night.

Despite the interruption, Lloyd assured there would be no delays in the processing of returns.

"The building is secure. Everyone's information is secure, but there's two or three hours of lost productivity because of the smoke that was a result of the fire," he said.

Rate this
This article has not yet been rated.

We want you to tell us what you think of our articles. If the story moves you, compels you to act or tells you something you didn’t know, mark it high. If you thought it was well written, do the same. If it doesn’t meet your standards, mark it accordingly.

You can also register and/or login to the site and join the conversation by leaving a comment.

Rate it yourself by rolling over the stars and clicking when you reach your desired rating. We want you to tell us what you think of our articles. If the story moves you, compels you to act or tells you something you didn’t know, mark it high.

Sort by: Newest to Oldest | Oldest to Newest | Most Popular 0 Comments

You can comment on most stories on brandonsun.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

There are no comments at the moment. Be the first to post a comment below.

Post Your Comment

The Brandon Sun does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. Comments are moderated before publication. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.