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York subway contractor charged in 2011 worker death

Jonny Chard | Contributor

A subcontractor on the Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension construction project has been fined $50,000 for the 2011 death of a worker and serious injury to another.

Judge Brent Knazan sentenced Advanced Construction Techniques Ltd., or ACT, at Old City Hall Court in Toronto on September 26, following a guilty verdict earlier in August.

The case follows events on the afternoon of October 11, 2011, where a drill rig toppled over with the mast and casing, crushing a backhoe and excavator below it. The backhoe operator was killed and the excavator operator was seriously injured, along with two other workers.

Knazan found that ACT had failed to adequately design a work platform for the drill rig by recognizing the soil-bearing capacity as required by the manufacturer’s specification for stability.

The Crown initially brought four charges against ACT. One charge was withdrawn by the Crown when the prime contractor and constructor on the project, Obrascon Huarte Lain and FCC Construction pled guilty and was subsequently fined $400,000. The judge found ACT not guilty of two of the remaining charges, guilty of one and fined ACT $50,000 accordingly.

When contacted for comment, ACT. stated: “In light of other ongoing proceedings at this time, no further comment or information may be provided.”

The TTC and its subcontractors have been under fire for the number of incidents and delays that have occurred on the 8.6 kilometre extension of the Yonge-University-Spadina subway from Downsview Station into the city of Vaughan, which has been delayed multiple times.

TTC Executive Director, Corporate Communications Brad Ross stresses: “This was a tragic loss of life. The TTC puts safety above all else and will continue to hold its contractors and their sub-contractors to account for the safety of their workers and the public, no matter the project.”

Fourth-year graphic design student Lindsay Keenan has found it hugely frustrating having to put up with the construction delays and not being able to reap any benefits while attending the university.

“Hopefully, now that the court case has been put to rest, the construction company have accepted their share of blame for the incident and have implemented safety measures to ensure no further incidents, the subway construction should meet the promised deadlines,” she says.

The opening of the subway extension is anticipated for the end of 2017.
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ShonTron said:
York University wasn't just pushing for a subway, they wanted to get all the buses out of their main campus.
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Based on York Region's proposed service plan, looks like the university is not getting what they hoped for.



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Those routes don't quite go into the heart of the campus like before, they mostly just go around the perimeter. Actually, it looks as if it's the most logical way to loop the routes. Go the long way around the campus but also service the university and two subway stops at once, instead of making a loop around the industrial area east of Keele.
 
Any word on what will happen to the 107 TTC bus route? It mainly follows the subway extension and then goes into Vaughan where the YRT 22 runs.
 
innsertnamehere said:
all the Vaughan TTC routes are being cut and replaced with new YRT routes as a part of the subway extension, from what I recall.
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That is correct. As for Keele North, it will be served by a new YRT route (number 29) which will have the same route as the current TTC service, except it will terminate at Pioneer Village Station. Which makes me wonder how the TTC plans to maintain service at the Downsiew industrial park since is currently served exclusively by the 107 bus.
 
Student99 said:
... which makes me ask, why was the extension necessary to go this far?
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To simply put it, it was political. The subway would have gone as far north as Steeles but prominent members of the provincial and federal government at the time (Greg Sorbara and Jim Flaherty) had a nice little backroom deal that would benefit both the Liberals and Conservatives. In short, the Feds pitched in for the subway extension in exchange for the province aiding with the 407 extension. The argument can also be made that one of the main reasons construction even got off the ground was because Sorbara (once again a prominent cabinet minister) was MPP of the riding where York University is.
 
salsa said:
That is correct. As for Keele North, it will be served by a new YRT route (number 29) which will have the same route as the current TTC service, except it will terminate at Pioneer Village Station. Which makes me wonder how the TTC plans to maintain service at the Downsiew industrial park since is currently served exclusively by the 107 bus.
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I mentioned in the Fantasy thread just now that they should combine the 107B and 117 Alness into a single route running from Sheppard West Stn to Steeles. That would serve the Kodiak/Chesswood/Champagne routing perfectly.
 
Hopkins123 said:
I mentioned in the Fantasy thread just now that they should combine the 107B and 117 Alness into a single route running from Sheppard West Stn to Steeles. That would serve the Kodiak/Chesswood/Champagne routing perfectly.
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They could also cancel the 107 and just have the 41 Keele continue to Steeles again.
 
I like how the site is "buzzing" with construction activity.... no wonder it's taking so long. hardly any work being done during the day
 
cplchanb said:
I like how the site is "buzzing" with construction activity.... no wonder it's taking so long. hardly any work being done during the day
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dude there's a little bit of overcast in the sky, contractors don't work when there are clouds in the sky. :p
 
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