Hamilton politicians call for tougher penalties against late contractors

There are calls for stronger penalties against Hamilton contractors who miss deadlines, as another project drags on past its scheduled completion date.

This time, it’s the J.L. Grightmire Arena in Dundas where $7 million in renovations that were to have been completed by Sept. 7 will now continue until at least mid-November.

Dundas Coun. Arlene Vanderbeek says we have hockey clubs, such as the Dundas Real McCoys, that “depend on attendance to pay the bills” and “relied on our commitment that they would be back in Grightmire this hockey season.”

Flamborough Coun. Judi Partridge adds that it’s time for an internal discussion about “how hard are we pushing contractors,” noting that several projects in her ward have gone more than a full year beyond schedule due to a range of “excuses.”

Mike Zegarac, Hamilton’s general manager of finance, says the city is looking at “how we might hold contractors accountable in a more financially meaningful way.”

In the case of J.L. Grightmire Arena, Rome D’Angelo, director of energy, fleet and facilities, says the contractor faces a maximum penalty of $1,000 per day. Ancaster Coun. Lloyd Ferguson believes the amount needs to be 10 times that number.

D’Angelo says the contractor has blamed delays in the delivery of a custom HVAC unit, as well as nine extreme heat days and 15 extreme cold days since the renovations started in the fall of 2017.