Ontario urged to require independent checks on infrastructure

TORONTO – A Canadian organization is calling on the Ontario government to ensure all the province’s infrastructure is independently inspected.

The call to action comes just days after a Global News investigation revealed serious concerns with the Dufferin Bridge.

The investigation revealed reports going back to 2008 recommending the bridge be immediately rehabilitated. Apart from restricting heavy-trucks on the bridge, it was not rehabilitated. In early 2013, the city shut down the bridge in an “emergency situation.”

Read the full investigation into the Dufferin Bridge

Now the Canadian Council of Independent Laboratories – an organization representing the independent testing industry – says some projects currently under construction in the province don’t require independent testing or inspection of their quality and safety.

The group characterized the lack of testing as a “serious and potentially dangerous mistake.”

An independent panel had said it couldn’t determine whether 500 girders used in the $1.4 billion Windsor parkway were safe. The Wynne government has said it won’t replace the girders but will monitor and fix them as necessary.

–        With files from The Canadian Press