Former Manitoba Tory leadership candidate buys former party headquarters

WINNIPEG — Manitoba’s Opposition Progressive Conservatives have sold the building that housed their headquarters to a former leadership candidate.

The 3,600-square-foot historic home, across the street from the legislature grounds, was listed for $800,000, but was purchased by Wally Daudrich for $600,000.

Daudrich, who also owns a polar bear tour company in Churchill, says he plans to restore the building and use it to host clients while they are in Winnipeg.

Daudrich finished a close second in the party leadership race last year behind winner Obby Khan and hopes to run for a legislature seat in the next election.

Party president Peter Smith says the sale price was below asking but is in line with comparable downtown properties.

He says the sale is helping the Tories pay down their debt from the 2023 election and prepare for the next vote, scheduled for October of next year.

“It put us in a very good spot,” Smith said Thursday.

“We could have paid off everything but we wanted to leave ourselves a little bit more … money in the bank.”

The party had an accumulated deficit of close to $689,000 at the end of 2024, while the NDP had an accumulated surplus of $835,000, filings with Elections Manitoba show.

The NDP filed a complaint with the provincial elections commissioner in February that alleged the Tories were violating a ban on corporate donations by using proceeds from the sale of the house, which was held by a trust, as a contribution.

Smith rejected the NDP’s accusation. The commissioner is still investigating.

As for Daudrich, he plans to restore the historic home, which fell into disrepair and suffered flooding.

“It is a pre-World War I building and I’d like to return it to its former glory,” Daudrich said.

“I just left a woodworking shop … because I want to put (in) some original oak flooring, Manitoba oak flooring.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 19, 2026.

Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press