Looks like they finally managed to switch contractors and get the money flowing again so hopefully this will finally finish up in the next few months.
 
Wonder if this will help.

News Release
Ontario Accelerates Essential Construction Projects During COVID-19

April 8, 2020
Extending Construction Hours Will Help Keep Ontario Workers Safe
TORONTO — In response to the outbreak of COVID-19, Ontario is extending construction hours for essential construction projects, like critical projects in the health care sector, to 24 hours a day. Work on new hospital builds, expansions, and COVID-19 assessment centres will be able to continue any time of the night or day in order to help accelerate the construction of these important projects and enable employers to take additional steps to protect the health and safety of workers on these job sites.
Premier Doug Ford, Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development, and Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, today announced extended construction hours and other measures to keep Ontario workplaces safe.

"During this escalating crisis, we are taking immediate steps to ensure the necessary infrastructure is in place, particularly to properly care for those with severe COVID-19 symptoms and other patients who require critical care," said Premier Doug Ford. "That's why we're extending construction hours to allow us to build essential infrastructure faster, while ensuring construction workers can practice physical distancing on work sites to stay safe and healthy."

Ontario will temporarily limit local noise bylaws from applying to these types of essential construction activities beginning April 7, 2020. This will allow for expedited construction on key facilities, such as new hospital builds, expansions, temporary COVID-19 response units or structures, and COVID-19 assessment centres. Extending hours for essential construction will also give worksite managers more flexibility to stagger shifts, limit the number of people in one place, and take reasonable precautions to keep workers safe and healthy under the recent guidelines issued by Ontario's Chief Prevention Officer for construction sites.

Ontario is also making essential workplaces across the province safer during the COVID-19 pandemic by:

  • Redeploying more than 30 employment standards officers to help businesses understand and comply with health and safety requirements;
  • Working with health and safety associations to deploy up to 30 specialists to support employers and workers in the field;
  • Issuing health and safety guidance notes to support specific sectors;
  • Doubling the capacity of Ontario's Health and Safety Call Centre from 25 to 50 phonelines;
  • Providing job-protected leave under the Employment Standards Act for workers who need to self-isolate or care for a loved one because of COVID-19;
  • Issuing a call to recently-retired inspectors who may be able and willing to return to their positions;
  • Providing compliance assistance and enforcing the emergency orders issued under the Emergency Measures and Civil Protection Act.

"Our government is doing everything in its power to make sure workers on the job are safe during this pandemic," said Monte McNaughton , Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development. "That means more inspections, more inspectors, more phone lines, and more people to take your calls. We have conducted thousands of inspections and investigations across the province in March and we will continue to conduct more this month. We will do everything in our power to keep the essential workers of our province safe."

"We're helping to protect the health and safety of construction workers and ensure that critical health care-related construction projects continue during this outbreak," said Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. "Temporarily limiting noise bylaws to extend the hours for construction work will help make it possible to stagger shifts and have fewer workers on site at any given time so they can practice physical distancing."

"As part of our plan to stop the spread of COVID-19, we are continuing to expand health care capacity in communities across the province," said Minister Elliott. "That includes building new assessment centres and field hospitals, both of which are critical to ensuring we are able to care for Ontarians as we contain this new virus. Extended hours will ensure that work on these facilities continues safely to the benefit of all Ontarians."
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Allandale25 said:
Wonder if this will help.
Click to expand...

Wonder if current construction projects allowed to continue would be considered as "essential" under these rules - even though they aren't? There is a huge different between allowing 24/7 construction for hospital and healthcare projects; not so much for residential projects "near construction".

AoD
 
The press release isn't super clear, but my interpretation is that it is for healthcare projects only. Residential construction can continue but within regular hours.
 
innsertnamehere said:
The press release isn't super clear, but my interpretation is that it is for healthcare projects only. Residential construction can continue but within regular hours.
Click to expand...
I think it is quite clear that the hours exemption is for critically important projects ("essential infrastructure") but I doubt finishing off soffits at St Mikes is critical and also whether any contractor will be prepared to pay a night premium anyway.
 
The panel work above Victoria Street is almost done.

20200412_110302.jpg

20200412_110307.jpg
 
Lachlan Holmes said:
I think that's Victoria Street. Agree on streetscape though.
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The City and TTC have been waiting for Victoria Street to be cleared by the hospital before replacing the streetcar tracks and fixing the street. I think they also needed Hydro to do something but that may have happened so they OUGHT to be able to fix Victoria from Dundas to Queen this year, (covid-19 permitting.) It really is a dangerous pot-holed mess.
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
From the Globe (behind paywall):

Ex-Bondfield CEO got tips on hospital bid, court filings allege

St. Michael’s insider used secret e-mail account to share information with firm, investigators say
www.theglobeandmail.com www.theglobeandmail.com

AoD
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To follow-up on Alvin's post...........the Globe and Mail has a new article noting that Zurich Insurance, the project's surety is now seeking to void its payment obligations to finish this project and to recover $68,000,000 already paid towards it due to the alleged corruption in the bidding process.

www.theglobeandmail.com

Insurer says it isn’t liable for finishing Bondfield renovation

Allegations of a corrupt bidding process for $300-million project voids obligation: Zurich
www.theglobeandmail.com www.theglobeandmail.com

I'm given to understand, from the article that large aspects of this project in the interior, including renovations to the pre-existing hospital building may still be outstanding, not just the superficial work we can all see on the outside.
 
Northern Light said:
I'm given to understand, from the article that large aspects of this project in the interior, including renovations to the pre-existing hospital building may still be outstanding, not just the superficial work we can all see on the outside.
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When you look from the east side it doesn't look close to finished. It still looks the same as the photo in this thread from back on March 23.
 
I'm not impressed with Zurich at all. They were happy to accept premiums for the surety bond. They assessed the risk at that time. The fact that the assessment was flawed due to fraud should not alter their obligation to complete the project, merely give right to seek what they have paid back from John Aquino and Bondfield. I am certain they are concerned they won't be able to recover from them what they are paying even if successful in their lawsuit, but that is a core of the risk taken when providing surety.

From the article alone, I understand the legal argument for ceasing to pay for the construction to be something along the lines of the hospital being in on the fraud, and violating the terms of the bond and relieving Zurich from its obligation. I don't think they will (or should) succeed on that argument - just because one insider was in on it does not mean the hospital as an entity endorsed that behaviour. In fact, it is obvious that the hospital itself was a victim of the fraud. By not completing construction, Zurich is re-victimizing them (at the cost of the taxpayers).

TLDR: Zurich has ceased to fund construction. I think that is wrong. They should continue to fund construction, and then sue the actual fraudsters (John Aquino & Bondfield). If they take a large loss funding construction, that is the risk of doing this type of business.
 
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