Mounties sued over 2010 games deal

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- The Royal Canadian Mounted Police force is being sued for nixing a deal to use cruise ships to house security forces for the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.

Cruise Connections Charter Management filed the suit with the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia seeking $55,348,136 in damages for canceling its deal to provide cruise ship lodging in Vancouver harbor, the Globe and Mail reported.

The deal was announced in June but the two RCMP civilian employees who negotiated it have since been replaced. The lawsuit alleges the force broke the deal to capitalize on the global economic dilemma, the report said.

"The RCMP's actions were intentional and conducted in bad faith ... designed to seek lower bids from Cruise Connections' competitors," the suit says.

The force has since put out tenders for cruise ship accommodations.

The suit also claims Cruise Connection lost profits, incurred costs and suffered damage to its reputation before the deal was canceled, the report said.

No details on when the suit would be heard were published.