Stuart Olson Construction Ltd. has fired back at a lawsuit alleging it is responsible for millions of dollars in issues discovered during and after the construction of Investors Group Stadium in Winnipeg. The response claims the province and owner Triple B rushed the project, ignored concerns and approved poor design.
Stuart Olson president David LeMay said he was disappointed to hear of the suit in the media and committed to fighting it.
"I am here to put some facts on the record. Facts that should matter to the taxpayers who paid for this project, and the hundreds of thousands of fans who have enjoyed it and will continue to enjoy Investors Group Field," he said at a press conference.
"We absolutely stand by our work on Investors Group Field, we always build to the design our owner ordered, and this is no exception … the Investors Group Field we built was the one ordered by the owner."
LeMay said the company brought concerns to the attention of the owner and over 500 different information requests were filed.
"Access to the roof, heating for piping, concrete – we saw potential issues and we continuously flagged them, and if an owner wants to reject changes, that is their right," he said.
According to the response filed by Stuart Olson, the project’s general contractor, the budget established for it was shorter than that applied to most comparable projects and those decisions were made in accordance with the political and financial requirements of Triple B and Manitoba.
Stuart Olson also noted that Triple B and the province’s consultants were the ones who recommended the various materials the contractor used.
"Although it was known that IG Field was to be used primarily as a football stadium and a concert venue, the Plaintiff and the Province of Manitoba made many decisions with respect to the construction and design of the field without first adequately taking the time to consider many details, including, for example, what concessions would be installed at IG field, operational logistics reviews, media broadcast requirements, air structure feasibility and winter use," reads the lawsuit response.
The response also included a cross claim against consultant Raymond S.C. Wan Architect Inc.
The field, completed in 2013, is home for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the University of Manitoba athletic program.
The original lawsuit, filed March 4 by Triple B includes a long list of defects, and construction and building code deficiencies that were discovered during and after construction.
Mould issues, lack of fireproofing, extensive concourse slab cracking, drainage issues, insulation issues, weight limit issues, mechanical issues and layout issues were just a few mentioned in court documents.
Triple B claims it has spent more than $4.72 million repairing the problems and the total is rising.
The suit is asking the courts to order Raymond S.C. Wan Architect Inc. and Stuart Olson to pay for the repairs, inspections and reports due to the issues.
Last summer, an architectural firm was paid to examine the issues and generated a report that concluded that "during the design and construction of the stadium, there was insufficient attention to the management of water drainage and heating, poor execution of critical details and poor construction quality control."
According to a release by Triple B, it wants to hold the parties accountable on behalf of Manitoba taxpayers, sport fans and concert goers.
"Triple B believes that the community deserves to have the facility that it paid for and believes that the defendants are responsible to cover those repairs," the company stated.
Following the original lawsuit, Blue Bombers president and CEO Wade Miller expressed his support for the legal action and noted in a letter to fans that it won’t impact events.
Stuart Olson Construction has responded to a lawsuit claiming it is responsible for issues discovered before and during construction of Investors Field Stadium (above) in Winnipeg, Man.The project was completed in 2013.
Photo: File Photo"
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