A veterinary research center which cost $50 million in public funds, in Saint-Hyacinthe, was undermined by construction defects, to the point that it is still not fully functional a decade after its inauguration.
The government of Quebec and the general contractor Aecon have been engaged in a standoff for 7 years over the numerous defects in the Quebec Veterinary Diagnostic and Epidemiological Surveillance Complex, our Bureau of Investigation discovered.
The building delivered at the end of 2012 houses laboratories intended for research into all kinds of animal diseases. There is also a research center of the University of Montreal.
The Quebec Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPAQ) does not hide its dissatisfaction with the general contractor Aecon, to whom it had awarded a contract worth approximately $31 million to carry out the largest part Works.
“MAPAQ finds itself with a “new” building subject to major problems,” deplores the Attorney General of Quebec in one of the numerous legal proceedings related to this case, filed in Superior Court.
“Astonishing” lack of quality
The problems are so serious that the incinerator which was supposed to dispose of animal carcasses was still not functional this summer, more than 11 years after the building’s inauguration.
“The lack of quality is so astonishing, for example at the level of the drains which sink into the floor, that the MAPAQ now fears that other problems are likely to arise,” Quebec also worries.
Quebec diagnostic and epidemiological surveillance complex
Jean-Louis Fortin / JdeM
According to the ministry, Aecon encountered “significant and persistent site management issues from the start of work until the very end of the project.”
“These problems were largely due to the arrogant attitude of the representatives of Aecon, responsible for the project as general contractor,” alleges the Quebec state.
Confidential payment
Aecon, for its part, says it has received more than 1,000 requests for modifications to the project or clarifications along the way.
“The numerous changes to the work had the effect of preventing Aecon and the subcontractors from carrying out their work according to the sequence, schedule and costs planned,” asserts the general contractor in the context of the legal proceedings. Aecon also filed lawsuits against several of its subcontractors.
A 175-page agreement was concluded in December 2021 for the execution of numerous corrective works. Talks are still ongoing regarding the financial liability of the parties. Last October, Quebec paid more than $75,000 to the contractor under a “confidential contract” related to this dispute.
Diane Rivard, senior communications advisor at Aecon, did not wish to comment on the matter, citing the confidentiality of the agreement. She referred us to the ministry.
“The MAPAQ will not comment on the case since it is still pending in court and the settlement has not been finalized,” said Yohan Dallaire Boily, public relations officer at the ministry.
Some of the defects, according to MAPAQ
- Paint “blisters and cracks”.
- “Drains, especially from post-mortem rooms, are sinking into the floors.”
- “Leaky cold rooms […] leaked body fluids and required urgent temporary repairs.”