SNC-Lavalin and construction: Calgary city councillors question Green Line officials – Calgary | 24CA News

Calgary metropolis councillors had a number of questions in regards to the procurement course of for the Green Line LRT mission after considerations from some residents over the involvement of Montreal-based SNC-Lavalin.

The questions got here as a part of an replace to town’s Executive Committee on Tuesday from officers with the Green Line mission.

SNC-Lavalin, as a part of a consortium of 5 different corporations referred to as CSIX, was awarded a contract final November to be the supply companion for the LRT mega-project.

The different corporations within the consortium embody Aldea Services Inc., Altus Group, Mott MacDonald and Turner & Townsend.

According to mission officers, CSIX might be tasked with supporting the builder of the primary part of the LRT line with industrial administration, technical help, mission controls, and building administration.

The Montreal-based agency introduced its involvement within the Green Line in a press launch final week, after town introduced the corporate’s involvement in November.

Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean mentioned his workplace has acquired calls from residents with questions in regards to the procurement course of for the mission.

“SNC-Lavalin is a very contentious company and so that’s what they were concerned about, how the selection process is done,” McLean instructed reporters. “To be clear, I share those concerns.”

The firm has been concerned in some political controversy in Canada in recent times.

Last 12 months, SNC-Lavalin was ordered to pay Quebec practically $30 million to settle prison bribery expenses stemming from bridge work in Montreal.

In August 2019, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was discovered by Canada’s ethics commissioner to have damaged the Conflict of Interest Act after revelations that Trudeau improperly influenced former Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould to supply a deferred prosecution settlement in a prison case towards SNC-Lavalin.

Green Line CEO Darshpreet Bhatti instructed councillors town’s ideas are transparency and equity when choosing companions bidding on City of Calgary contracts.

Bhatti mentioned the consortium was vetted via an unbiased assessment to find out any conflicts of curiosity or authorized points that will make the businesses ineligible to bid on a metropolis contract.

“We look at a whole gambit of things from what the city policies are, what the best practices are and legally and legislatively, are they compliant with not just the requirements in the province but Canada at-large,” Bhatti instructed committee. “They have to go through the process and if they’re evaluated in a way where they score higher than the others, then from a fairness and transparent perspective, we have to then award the contract to them.”

Calgary’s mayor additionally clarified that metropolis councillors will not be concerned within the choice course of.

“Council did not choose them, council simply provided direction to complete this project,” Jyoti Gondek instructed reporters.

McLean mentioned he was pleased with the solutions supplied by Green Line officers.

“They committed to transparency and that’s all I’m looking for,” McLean mentioned.

New highway closures and underground work

There might be one other highway closure within the Beltline space close to Victoria Park as underground utility relocation work continues to make manner for a future LRT tunnel.

According to Green Line officers, the following main highway closure would be the intersection of 11 Avenue S.E. and Olympic Way, which is anticipated to start in March.

Last 12 months, Olympic Way and 12 Avenue S.E. was closed so crews might set up new deep and shallow utility traces so the present traces may be eliminated sooner or later when tunnelling begins beneath the downtown core.

The Green Line tunnel is slated to run beneath 2 Street S.W. and Bhatti mentioned there may be preliminary work by third social gathering suppliers underway throughout the downtown core to organize for relocated utility traces.

“Because we’re moving stuff off of 2 Street, we not only have to put it on 1 Street and 3 Street S.W., but we have to connect it on all of these cross streets; that’s why you may see work all over the place,” Bhatti instructed Global News. “We’re making sure that once we’re done, there’s really nothing for shallow utilities that will remain on our alignment in the downtown piece.”

Green Line officers urged companies impacted by building work to get involved with their Business Support Program group to supply suggestions and get updates because the mission progresses.

The utility relocation work is scheduled to be full in 2024.

The $5.5 billion Green Line mission has been divided into levels, with the primary stage set to run from Shepard within the metropolis’s southeast, beneath the downtown core to Eau Claire.

&copy 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.