ManitobaThe City of Winnipeg is proposing a $7-million payment toward a global settlement to compensate three men wrongfully convicted of a 1973 Winnipeg murder.City’s contribution would help settle lawsuits filed by Brian Anderson, Allan Woodhouse, Clarence WoodhouseCameron MacLean · CBC News · Posted: Oct 15, 2025 7:51 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours agoAllan Woodhouse, front left, and Brian Anderson, centre, speak to reporters outside the Winnipeg Law Courts on July 18, 2023, after they were acquitted for a 1973 murder. Clarence Woodhouse was exonerated the following year. (Brittany Hobson/The Canadian Press)The City of Winnipeg is proposing a $7-million payment toward a global settlement to compensate three men wrongfully convicted of a Winnipeg murder more than 50 years ago.The 1973 case, which Court of King’s Bench Chief Justice Glenn Joyal described as “infected” by systemic racism, involved three First Nations men: Brian Anderson and Allan Woodhouse, who were exonerated in 2023, and Clarence Woodhouse, who was acquitted in 2024.A report heading to the city’s executive policy committee on Oct. 21 recommends council approve the payment, which was negotiated through a judicial dispute resolution process with the province of Manitoba and the federal government. If approved, the payout would come from the city’s financial stabilization reserve.The three men were convicted in March 1974 for the 1973 murder of Ting Fong Chan, a 40-year-old Winnipeg restaurant worker who was stabbed and beaten to death near a downtown construction site while walking home from work.All three men spent years in prison before being released on parole. Anderson served nearly 11 years, Allan Woodhouse about 23 years and Clarence Woodhouse about 12 years. Their convictions were prosecuted by George Dangerfield, a former Crown attorney later tied to several other wrongful conviction cases.According to the city’s settlement report, their convictions were later reviewed by the federal Criminal Conviction Review Group. The federal minister of justice quashed the convictions and ordered new trials. All three were subsequently exonerated.Anderson and Allan Woodhouse filed separate lawsuits in April 2024 against the City of Winnipeg, the province of Manitoba and the federal attorney general, alleging false arrest, negligent investigation, malicious prosecution, conspiracy, Charter and human rights violations, and breaches of statutory duties. Clarence Woodhouse was acquitted on Oct. 3, 2024. (Tyson Koschik/CBC)In February, Clarence Woodhouse launched his own claim, describing how he was arrested at 21, spoke little English and was coerced into signing a confession. He has previously said being compensated would allow him to move out of his son’s house and finally have a place of his own.Anderson told CBC News in July that acknowledgments of his innocence were important.However, “they were quick to convict, but when it’s time to find it the other way around, [they’re] dragging their feet,” he said. adding he still feels he has to prove why he should be compensated for the years he lost.Significant costs to continuing legal fight: cityThe city’s report warns that rejecting the settlement would mean years of additional legal wrangling, including “the exchange of documentary disclosure, examinations of the parties, and the retainer of experts regarding liability and the assessment of damages.””These steps are expected to take years and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Ashley Pledger, the city’s interim director of legal services, wrote in the report. If the settlement isn’t approved, the city will “incur significant external legal and related costs to continue the litigation,” her report says.The recommended $7-million contribution would be among the larger wrongful conviction payouts involving Manitoba cases. Acquittals were also issued for Thomas Sophonow, who was compensated with $2.6 million, and James Driskell, who received $4 million after his conviction was overturned.Russell Woodhouse died in 2011. (Submitted by Justin Fritzley)One of the four men convicted in the 1973 murder has not yet had his name cleared. Clarence’s brother, Russell Woodhouse, was convicted of manslaughter in the case and died of cancer in 2011. In September, federal Justice Minister Sean Fraser ordered a new appeal in the case after a posthumous conviction review in his case, marking what the federal government says is the first time that type of review has led to a remedy under the Criminal Code for someone who is already dead. A lawyer representing Anderson, Allan Woodhouse and Clarence Woodhouse declined to comment on the latest potential settlement because the details have not been finalized.A spokesperson for the attorney general of Canada also said details of the dispute resolution process are confidential.If Winnipeg city council approves the proposal, the settlement would mark the first major financial acknowledgment of the wrongful convictions. If rejected, the lawsuits are scheduled to proceed toward trial in 2027.WATCH | City of Winnipeg proposes $7M settlement in wrongful convictions :City of Winnipeg proposes $7M settlement in wrongful convictionsThe city is recommending a payment to compensate Allan Woodhouse, Brian Anderson and Clarence Woodhouse, who were wrongfully convicted for a 1973 murder. All three men have filed lawsuits against the City of Winnipeg, the province of Manitoba and the federal government over their wrongful convictions. ABOUT THE AUTHORCameron MacLean is a journalist for CBC Manitoba living in Winnipeg, where he was born and raised. He has more than a decade of experience reporting in the city and across Manitoba, covering a wide range of topics, including courts, politics, housing, arts, health and breaking news. Email story tips to cameron.maclean@cbc.ca.
City of Winnipeg proposes $7M settlement in wrongful conviction case tied to 1973 murder
