Vancouver city council has voted to have the city review its relationship with Canadian engineering giants SNC-Lavalin and Bombardier.
The motion comes in the wake of the ongoing scandal in Ottawa, in which the Prime Minister’s Office is accused of inappropriately pressuring former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould to intervene on behalf of SNC-Lavalin in an ongoing corruption prosecution.
Non-Partisan Association Coun. Colleen Hardwick, who proposed the motion, says that if SNC-Lavalin is eventually found guilty of the corruption charges the company is currently facing, it could be barred from bidding on the Broadway SkyTrain extensions, which are currently reliant on SNC-Lavalin technology for tracks and electronics and Bombardier for rail cars.
The motion also points to a World Bank audit of Bombardier on allegations of corruption.
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Vancouver voted to use SkyTrain technology for the extension back in January.
Council has instructed city staff to conduct a “thorough review” of Vancouver’s relationship with SNC-Lavalin and Bombardier, including its procurement relationship.
Staff have also been asked to look into how the use of SkyTrain technology could be impacted by the prosecution of SNC-Lavalin and the audit of Bombardier.
The city is also set to consult with TransLink and report as quickly as possible on any proprietary rights or bidding advantages the two engineering firms have on the future SkyTrain extension as well as the ability of other companies to bid competitively.
However, councillors voted to scrap a fourth proposed element of Hardwick’s motion, which would have barred council from making any other decisions on the Broadway extension until the review was conducted.
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