A legal battle is escalating between a construction firm and the federal government over the “catastrophic failure” of a historic lift bridge in Kingston, Ont.
Landform Civil Infrastructures Inc. (LCI), the company originally hired to repair the LaSalle Causeway, filed an $8-million lawsuit against Ottawa in March, accusing federal officials of breaching their contract and falsely blaming the firm for the collapse.
Now, the federal government is firing back and seeking more than $60 million in damages through a newly-filed counterclaim.
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In court documents obtained by Global News, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) accuses LCI of multiple failures, including improper work sequencing, inadequate bracing, and not submitting key engineering calculations before the bridge buckled during repairs in spring 2024.
The incident forced the complete demolition of the bridge, shut down marine traffic in Kingston’s harbour for weeks, and triggered the installation of a temporary crossing, according to the court documents.
Ottawa’s claim calls LCI’s work “defective and of no value,” alleging that the damage was a direct result of the contractor’s negligence. They also estimate future costs for a new permanent solution at around $30 million.
PSPC also claims it paid LCI more than $7.5 million for work that never resulted in a functioning bridge.
In its original lawsuit, LCI alleged it had followed the approved plan and was wrongly scapegoated. It is seeking compensation for unpaid invoices, lost business opportunities, and legal fees.
Sigma Risk Management, the engineering firm named in the original lawsuit and tasked with assessing the collapse, has not yet responded in court.
None of the allegations from either side have been proven in court and the case is still ongoing.
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