Chinook Power Station subcontractors say they have not been paid

Ronald Kissick owns a small septic company, Liquid Assets, with his wife in Swift Current, Sask. Late last year, he got a call to do contract work on SaskPower’s Chinook Power Station.

“We went to work on the crown jewel of Swift Current right now,” Kissick said.

Liquid Assets worked on the $680 million project between November 2018 and January 2019. Liquid Assets is normally a mom-and-pop operation, but Kissick hired extra help and leased trucks to be onsite 24-7.

During that time, Kissick said his company did $90,000 worth of work and has not been paid yet. He added that bills have been stacking up, and money set aside for lighter times has been used.

“If it wasn’t for some really good people that stood behind us — the people I lease my trucks from P&T water hauling, B&A Petroleum, Fountain Tire, and my mechanic, Speedy Creek Mechanical, we’d have been done. We’d have been done in March,” Kissick said.

Liquid Assets is one of about 60 subcontractors underneath Alberta-based Solid Industrial Solutions (Solid). Solid was brought on by SaskPower’s engineering, procurement and engineering procurement and construction contractor for the project, Burns and McDonnell (B&M).

Another Chinook subcontractor, who is not underneath Solid, said they have been paid for their work on the natural gas power plant.

Solid said they are owed approximately $2.3 million by B&M with $1.8 million of that earmarked for Solid’s subcontractors like Liquid Assets. Solid said they cannot pay their subcontractors without first being paid by B&M.

There’s been a pay dispute between Solid and B&M centring on a chemical cleanup carried out by Solid. Solid said they completed the job, and should be paid for it. B&M said Solid failed to complete the scope of work they were hired to do.

A statement from B&M goes on to say they are not responsible for paying Solid’s subcontractors, they are committed to making “every reasonable effort to make this right.”

As of July 4, Solid and B&M are still negotiating an agreement that would provide payment for the subcontractors.

SaskPower said they are aware of the issues. The Crown corporation added that while they are the owner of the project, they do not have direct input on subcontractor performance or compensation. They said that is the responsibility of B&M.

Until a solution can be found, Kissick can only wait and do what he can to keep Liquid Assets from insolvency.

“In Saskatchewan, it’s one of those things where your word is your bond. Phoning and telling people that you can’t pay because somebody else hasn’t held up their end is very, very difficult and very stressful; especially on my other half,” he said.

“This could be a happy story for everybody and it will be forgiven and forgot. We just need Burns and McDonnell to step up and do what they’re supposed to do. We did, it’s their turn.”