OSEG sues contractors over 'negligent' Lansdowne work
OSEG sues contractors for $6M over redevelopment designs, court documents show
The Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group has filed two statements of claim against five contractors over allegations of negligent work and broken contracts redeveloping Lansdowne Park, including claims of poor sanitary drainage, insufficient lighting and designs that didn't meet fire codes.
OSEG is taking architecture firm Cannon Design to court for $4 million in damages over its design work on the stadium and arena.
The other lawsuit takes aim at four engineering companies for $2.3 million over the construction of the stadium's underground parking garage.
In March, OSEG filed two notices of action on March 3 against these contractors.
Claims against Cannon Design
Cannon Design was hired by OSEG to convert 33,500 square feet under the arena into leasable space for retail.
OSEG's court filings include claims that the company's work had:
- Failed to provide for structural foundation in design for field level seating.
- Inadequate heat tracing for all sanitary lines.
- Designs that failed to account for proper roof slope and drainage on the north stadium stands.
- Designs for the south stadium that did not meet fire code, resulting in blocked sprinklers.
- Designs that failed to include proper sealant for concrete on the upper concourse of the north stadium.
Claims against 4 other firms
OSEG names Adjeleian Allen Rubeli and IBI Group in the other lawsuit, which claims that the architectural designs didn't have enough headroom throughout the garage, grates couldn't support car traffic, and that they had concerns over the plans for a concrete wall on one parking ramp.
OSEG claims another firm, Smith and Andersen Consulting Engineering, didn't provide proper draining in a garbage room, that there wasn't enough lighting in the parking garage, and that designs lacked the right electrical connections to some rooms, say court documents.
The fourth firm, David Schaeffer Engineering, failed to provide catch basins and connections to storm sewer for drainage on the field, its drawings didn't have a fire hydrant connection on Holmwood Avenue, and the wrong kind of storm water tanks were listed in the designs, according to the statement of claim.
Issues fixed before opening
All issues that could pose a threat to public safety were fixed before TD Place was certified to open in July 2014, said OSEG. Despite tests and inspections, some other problems didn't surface until later.
These are not public safety issues but things we found out and fixed as soon as we knew about them.- Randy Burgess, OSEG's vice-president of communications
"For example, a pipe froze in the winter of 2015 because a heat tracing line to keep it ice-free was not properly installed," wrote Randy Burgess, OSEG's vice-president of communications, in an email to CBC News.
"These are not public safety issues but things we found out and fixed as soon as we knew about them."
None of the claims in either lawsuit has been tested in court.
The companies named in the lawsuit have not yet filed statements of defence. The firms either did not respond to a request for an interview or said they could not comment.