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Surrey’s new city hall generating more controversy

WATCH: Dueling lawsuits over Surrey’s controversial new city hall have revealed some big spending on a party thrown by the former mayor. Rumina Daya reports.

Over a year after Surrey’s new City Hall was completed, lawsuits between the city and the company that oversaw construction are ongoing.

“There were decisions made by the city that actually inflated the cost of this building and that’s why they’re in court. They’re trying to wriggle out of the cost of those decisions,” says Canadian Taxpayers Federation director Jordan Bateman.

PCL Constructors Westcoast Inc., the general contractor on the project, says it’s still owed more than $9 million for their work on the project, including $361,720 so that “the Mayor’s gala”, a charity event organized by former mayor Diane Watts, could go ahead as planned in 2013, even though the building was still [under] construction.
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“That matter is before the courts, so I can’t comment on the specifics on that,” says Aubrey Kelly of Surrey City Development Corp.

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“But I can say this. In our view, that’s a completely undefendable number.”

The city themselves is countersuing PCL for $1.6 million, claiming damages because construction was delayed by five months

Kelly says they’re trying to reach an out-of court settlement with PCL, who haven’t responded to requests for comment by Global News.

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