Poor paving, surfacing work sees $3.5M contract suspended

SNC-Lavalin supervisedworksite

The City of Montreal hiredSNC-Lavalin for the supervision of its roadwork sites for 20152017 at a cost of $2.9 million.

The inspector-general says the engineering firm did not hold Demix Construction to the technical specifications of its contract.

"As the worksite's supervisor, SNC-Lavalin let Demix Construction work as though the foundation work didn't exist," Gallant said.

He said heis "seriously questioning the surveillance work of SNC-Lavalin's supervisors" and is recommending the city speak with the firm about the situation.

When reached for comment, both Demix Construction and SNC-Lavalinsaid they were respecting the terms of their mandates.

In a written statement, Demix said it"respects the specifications and demands of its clients. In this particular project, we diligently followed the instructions given by the supervisor, who was hired by the city to oversee the worksite."

A spokesperson for SNC-Lavalinsaid the firm is reviewing the inspector's reportand added,"When supervising this type of work site, we adhere to the plans and specifications produced by another firm for the City of Montreal."

It added that it's reviewing the Inspector's report and says it will ensure engineers "made the right choices for the prescribed work mentioned in the report."

Demix Contruction'scontract included several other streets that haven't been paved yet, including Albert-Hudon and Ste-Gertrude boulevards as well asHbert and De la Seine avenues.

Mayor Denis Coderre's office says it is currently reviewing the inspector-general's report.

"That position was created to ensure the integrity of public contracts, and it was the power to highlight major irregularities. Today we have another example that it works," Coderre said.

Coderre said he asked the Montreal's city manager and its control officer for explanations regarding the efficiency of external supervisors for Montreal constructionworksites.