The date has been set for a multimillion-dollar trial that will uncover the troubled construction of BC Place stadium's cable-supported retractable roof.
Lawyers for France-based cable installer Freyssinet and Quebec-based steel subcontrator Canam are scheduled to begin a BC Supreme Court trial on October 21, 2013. Freyssinet court filings indicate it is scheduled for 85 days, meaning it could stretch deep into 2014.
By comparison, Tom Gaglardi and Ryan Beedie's lawsuit against Francesco Aquilini over their failed bid to buy the Vancouver Canucks and Rogers Arena was heard for 59 days across seven months in 2007.
Freyssinet filed a $6.5 million claim on October 31, 2011, charging Canam with breach of contract, breach of statutory trust and equitable fraud. Prime contractor PCL Constructors Westcoast and BC Pavilion Corp. were also named as defendants.
Canam responded November 18, 2011, with a $26.15 million counterclaim against Freyssinet. The subcontract was supposed to be $30.12 million, but Canam claimed Freyssinet caused it to nearly double by breach of contract and negligence.
PCL contracted Canam for $122 million in November 2009 and Canam hired Freyssinet. Freyssinet commenced work in July 2010 and on August 23, 2010, Canam and Freyssinet signed a subcontract, backdated to November 20, 2009. The companies disagreed on construction methods and encountered equipment malfunctions and failures.
Cable installation delays postponed the application of the new fabric roof from February 2011 to June 2011. Workers returned in spring and summer 2012 to correct roof flaws, seal areas prone to rain leaks and replace fabric panels stained with grease that leaked from the Geobrugg AG-supplied cables. Switzerland-based Geobrugg AG has denied responsibility for the leaks.
However, rain leaks have been reported as recently as the October 11-14 Vancouver Home + Design Show. PavCo claims repair work is covered by warranty.
The government said in August that the project cost $514 million. That is less than the $563 million final renovation budget but more than the original $365 million budget announced in January 2009.
