Infrastructure Ontario (IO), the province’s arms-length construction agency, said Wednesday that councillors will only be provided information about the three proposals for the Ivor Wynne Stadium rebuild if they sign a confidentiality agreement.
Lloyd Ferguson, co-chair of the city’s Pan Am stadium subcommittee, says he’s uncomfortable about being muzzled by the province — especially since the city is paying $45 million for the project’s construction.
“This is public money. We should have the right to have oversight — we’re the ones being held accountable,” said Ferguson, who spent 30 years in the construction industry before becoming a councillor. “I’m incredibly uneasy about the fact that we can’t talk to them about their estimates, and we can’t talk to them about the design publicly … because we’re spending public money. I’m disappointed in that.”
However, Infrastructure Ontario says confidentiality allows the process to be “competitive and fair.”
“We are protecting taxpayers’ dollars by ensuring the bidders are working on their own design solutions without unwanted influence, and have an equal opportunity to be selected as the developer,” said IO spokesperson Terence Foran. “A bidder’s designs are a significant part of their competitive advantage and cannot be revealed in a fair process.”
IO put out a call for proposals for the Pan Am stadium, a stadium at York University, and the velodrome earlier this year. It has since selected three consortiums, each of which will submit detailed proposals for the design and construction of those venues.
Once IO chooses a design from one of the three shortlisted consortiums, all details will be revealed to the public.
“(IO) will select a consortium, they will select their design, and after they’ve awarded, they will open the drapes and say, ‘Here’s what you’re getting,’” said Ferguson, who intends to sign the confidentiality agreement to view the three designs. “There will be no opportunity to influence it, no opportunity to ask questions about why the design is a certain way — it will be over by the time we see it.”
Foran said the proposal providing “the best value to Ontario taxpayers” will be chosen.
“We want the bidders to come up with the most innovative designs and the most competitive price,” he said.
Gerry Davis, the city’s head of public works, said a group of city staff are privy to all the details of the three proposals and are scrutinizing the process at every step. The eight staffers working on the project are also required to sign confidentiality agreements.
Davis said when the city puts out calls for proposals, the bidding process is open and the details aren’t kept confidential.
“IO’s process is not similar to the city’s process,” Davis said.
Mayor Bob Bratina, who sits on the Pan Am stadium subcommittee, said he’s not concerned by IO’s confidentiality requirements.
“It was a very clear and acceptable explanation of where they are in the process and why confidentiality was required,” said Bratina. “It’s not in political hands right now — it’s in the hands of our staff whom we trust and respect.
“It’s all good — and we’re all excited to see what the outcome will be.”
E.Reilly-THE SPEC
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