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The City of Ottawa and Rideau Transit Group owe at least $100,000 to the company that runs The Westin Ottawa hotel because of damages related to the massive sinkhole almost one year ago, a lawsuit claims.
The lawsuit, filed this week by the U.S.-based Starwood Capital Group, describes how the busy hotel had to be evacuated on June 8, 2016 after receiving an order from the RCMP, forcing the cancellation of events booked in the facility.
On that morning, a chunk of Rideau Street just east of Sussex Drive opened up without warning, swallowing a van that was parked on the side of the road and exposing a broken watermain that spewed water into the gaping hole.
Photos: A look back at the Ottawa sinkhole
No one was reported injured, but nearby businesses, including the hotel and the attached Rideau Centre, had to be evacuated while engineers made sure people could safely return to the buildings.
According to Starwood’s lawsuit, the Westin hotel on Colonel By Drive had a 98-per-cent occupancy when the sinkhole happened.
The evacuation order ended in the late afternoon, but the hotel still had problems with the water and natural gas supply for several days after the sinkhole, the lawsuit says.
“Several banquets and catered events which were scheduled to take place at the hotel on June 8, 2016 were cancelled on account of the evacuation order as well as a number of room reservations which were cancelled or could not be fulfilled,” the lawsuit says.
On top of that, the company says it racked up “significant out-of-pocket expenses” to compensate staff and customers because of the inconveniences.
It’s all the fault of the city and RTG, the company says.
None of the allegations has been tested in court.
“The City of Ottawa does not comment on matters before the courts,” city solicitor and clerk Rick O’Connor said in an email.
RTG spokeswoman Kathryn Keyes said the consortium also doesn’t comment on legal matters.
Among the 15 allegations directed at RTG, Starwood claims the construction consortium designed the LRT project “without adequate structural support and bracing to prevent against the formation of the sinkhole.”
Starwood attempts to pin blame on RTG for allegedly not inspecting the LRT construction and supervising the work of construction employees. The LRT builder should have known, “or with reasonable diligence could have known,” that the design and construction was deficient, the lawsuit says.
There are also 10 allegations levelled at the city, including claims that the city failed to supervise the contractor and make sure Rideau Street in the area of the sinkhole “was in a reasonable state of repair in the circumstances.”
Starwood says it suffered property damage, a loss of profits and an accumulation of other expenses because of the “negligence” by the city and RTG.
The company says it doesn’t yet know the precise value of the damages.
The city released a report in April that investigated the cause of the sinkhole, but the lawsuit doesn’t reference the report.
The report, which was completed for the city by McMillen Jacobs Associates, says the LRT tunnelling work under Rideau Street disturbed the soft soil.
The city and RTG knew about the ground conditions in the area.
When the city released the report, it revealed it had received 32 claims for compensation from property owners and businesses affected by the sinkhole.
jwilling@postmedia.com
twitter.com/JonathanWilling
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The lawsuit, filed this week by the U.S.-based Starwood Capital Group, describes how the busy hotel had to be evacuated on June 8, 2016 after receiving an order from the RCMP, forcing the cancellation of events booked in the facility.
On that morning, a chunk of Rideau Street just east of Sussex Drive opened up without warning, swallowing a van that was parked on the side of the road and exposing a broken watermain that spewed water into the gaping hole.
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Westin hotel parent sues city, RTG over alleged sinkhole damages
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Photos: A look back at the Ottawa sinkhole
Day 1: View from Chateau Laurier. Sink hole on Rideau St and gas leak in Ottawa, June 08, 2016. Jean Levac/Ottawa Citizen
Day 1: Sink hole on Rideau St and gas leak in Ottawa, June 08, 2016. Jean Levac
Day 1: View from Chateau Laurier. Sink hole on Rideau St and gas leak in Ottawa, June 08, 2016. Jean Levac/Ottawa Citizen
Day 2: Rideau street sinkhole on Thursday morning. Tom Spears/Ottawa Citizen
Day 2: sinkhole on Rideau Street Thursday June 9, 2016. Ashley Fraser/Ottawa Citizen
Day 2: sinkhole on Rideau Street Thursday June 9, 2016. Ashley Fraser/Ottawa Citizen
Day 3: View of the sinkhole from the Rideau Centre, June 10, 2016 Jean Levac/Ottawa Citizen
A photo of the Rideau Street sinkhole taken four days after the ground disappeared. /Ottawa Citizen
Day 5: Construction crews were at work Sunday June 12, 2016 as pedestrians and shoppers got a peek of the status of the sinkhole from the pedestrian bridge. Ashley Fraser/Postmedia
Day 6: The sinkhole on Rideau St., near Sussex Ave corner in downtown Ottawa Monday. Julie Oliver/Ottawa Citizen
Day 6: The sinkhole on Rideau St., near Sussex Ave corner in downtown Ottawa Monday. Julie Oliver/Ottawa Citizen
Day 7: Repair work continues on the sinkhole at Rideau near Sussex in downtown Ottawa. Julie Oliver/Ottawa Citizen
Day 8: Ottawa sinkhole from Rideau Centre, June 15, 2016. Jean Levac/Ottawa Citizen
Day 9: Sinkhole on Rideau June 16, 2016. Julie Oliver/Ottawa Citizen
Day 10: Ottawa Sinkhole Wayne Cuddington
Day 11: Daily progress photo of the Rideau Street sinkhole Saturday June 18, 2016. Ashley Fraser/Postmedia
Day 12: Repairs on the Ottawa Sinkhole on Rideau St. continue Sunday June 19, 2016. Darren Brown
Day 13: Ongoing construction work to repair the massive sinkhole on Rideau Street in downtown Ottawa. Monday June 20, 2016. Errol McGihon/Postmedia
Day 14: Repairs to the Ottawa sinkhole continues on Rideau St. Tuesday June 21, 2016. Darren Brown/Ottawa Citizen
Day 15: Sinkhole on Rideau Street in Ottawa June 22, 2016. Jean Levac/Ottawa Citizen
Day 16: Sinkhole on Rideau St. in Ottawa, June 23, 2016. Jean Levac/Ottawa Citizen
Day 17: Sinkhole on Rideau St. in Ottawa, June 24, 2016. Jean Levac/Ottawa Citizen
Day 18: Sinkhole on Rideau Street Saturday June 25, 2016. Ashley Fraser/Postmedia
Day 19: The sinkhole on Rideau Street, near Sussex, in downtown Ottawa June 26, 2016. Julie Oliver/Ottawa Citizen
Day 20: Ongoing construction at the scene of a sinkhole at Rideau Street and Sussex Drive in Ottawa. Monday June 27, 2016. Errol McGihon/Postmedia
Day 21: Sinkhole at Rideau St and Sussex Dr. Wayne Cuddington
Day 22: The Rideau St sinkhole as the downtown core deals with a number street closures for the Three Amigos Summit being held at the National Gallery. Wayne Cuddington
Day 23: Work on the Rideau St. sinkhole continues Thursday June 30, 2016. Darren Brown/Ottawa Citizen
Day 24: Canada Day revellers make their way up and down Rideau Street where the sinkhole was downtown Ottawa Friday July 1, 2016. Ashley Fraser/Postmedia
No one was reported injured, but nearby businesses, including the hotel and the attached Rideau Centre, had to be evacuated while engineers made sure people could safely return to the buildings.
According to Starwood’s lawsuit, the Westin hotel on Colonel By Drive had a 98-per-cent occupancy when the sinkhole happened.
The evacuation order ended in the late afternoon, but the hotel still had problems with the water and natural gas supply for several days after the sinkhole, the lawsuit says.
“Several banquets and catered events which were scheduled to take place at the hotel on June 8, 2016 were cancelled on account of the evacuation order as well as a number of room reservations which were cancelled or could not be fulfilled,” the lawsuit says.
On top of that, the company says it racked up “significant out-of-pocket expenses” to compensate staff and customers because of the inconveniences.
It’s all the fault of the city and RTG, the company says.
None of the allegations has been tested in court.
“The City of Ottawa does not comment on matters before the courts,” city solicitor and clerk Rick O’Connor said in an email.
RTG spokeswoman Kathryn Keyes said the consortium also doesn’t comment on legal matters.
Among the 15 allegations directed at RTG, Starwood claims the construction consortium designed the LRT project “without adequate structural support and bracing to prevent against the formation of the sinkhole.”
Starwood attempts to pin blame on RTG for allegedly not inspecting the LRT construction and supervising the work of construction employees. The LRT builder should have known, “or with reasonable diligence could have known,” that the design and construction was deficient, the lawsuit says.
There are also 10 allegations levelled at the city, including claims that the city failed to supervise the contractor and make sure Rideau Street in the area of the sinkhole “was in a reasonable state of repair in the circumstances.”
Starwood says it suffered property damage, a loss of profits and an accumulation of other expenses because of the “negligence” by the city and RTG.
The company says it doesn’t yet know the precise value of the damages.
The city released a report in April that investigated the cause of the sinkhole, but the lawsuit doesn’t reference the report.
The report, which was completed for the city by McMillen Jacobs Associates, says the LRT tunnelling work under Rideau Street disturbed the soft soil.
The city and RTG knew about the ground conditions in the area.
When the city released the report, it revealed it had received 32 claims for compensation from property owners and businesses affected by the sinkhole.
jwilling@postmedia.com
twitter.com/JonathanWilling
查看原文...
