Metal thieves steal parts of convention centre roof before installation

The head of the Vancouver Convention Centre expansion project has confirmed that $150,000 worth of aluminum cut for the centre's roofhas been stolen from a supplier in Surrey, but he says that won'tkeep the project from being completed on time.

The aluminum had been cut and shaped for the roof of the new centre when it was stolen from the Deelite Fabrication & Welding facility located in an industrial area in Surrey's Port Kells,according to Surrey RCMP. The theft occurred over three or four days, Sgt. Roger Morrow said.

Dave Podmore, chair of the Vancouver Convention Centre construction project, said the theft is a blow, but the aluminum parts can be remanufactured and installed later in the construction schedule.

"We're on target with that budget that I tabled in July of 2007, and we're on target with the schedule I completed at that time,"Podmore said on Tuesday. "We'll complete within budget, the $883 million, and we'll complete it on March 15, 2009."

Podmore took over the project in April, when it was revealed that construction costs were more than$300 million over budget.

The convention centre roof, at 24,000 square metres, will be one of the largest of its kind in the world when it is completed. It will eventually be covered with plants, as one of many environmental innovations included in the expansion.