City, contractor at odds over Remai cost
City hall, contractor locked in dispute a year after the Remai Modern opened
The City of Saskatoon and the contractor that built Remai Modern Art Gallery of Saskatchewan remain locked in a dispute over the construction cost a year after the facility opened.
The project, which became marked by delays and rising costs since it was first announced nine years ago, was budgeted at $84.6 million for the gallery building, not including the $19.5-million parkade under the gallery.
City council was told in November 2017 that the gallery ended up about $4 million over budget. The city and contractor Ellisdon continue to negotiate, according to the city’s top lawyer.
“There are a number of outstanding discussion points on the completion of the Remai Modern,” city solicitor Patricia Warwick said in an email. “These have yet to be resolved.”
Warwick added the city does not comment on the performance of a contractor, and a report to city council will be made public once the issues have been resolved.
The city has essentially repeated the same message since the spring of 2017, after the project to build the gallery and parkade had passed the substantial completion mark.
The Starphoenix approached Ellisdon for comment, but did not receive a response.
The Mississauga, Ont.-based construction company has not remained quiet on the legal front, however. In March 2016, Ellisdon sued Dynamic Glass & Door Ltd. of Saskatoon for more than $2 million, claiming the company failed to perform its work on the gallery properly and on time.
The lawsuit also sought to make Dynamic liable to pay the costs of any successful legal action by the city against Ellisdon.
Dynamic filed a counter-claim in 2016, denying it had failed to live up to its contract and blaming Ellisdon. None of the claims were proven in court before the legal dispute moved to mediation later in 2016.
Ellisdon also faced lawsuits from two other subcontractors over the Remai Modern project.
The gallery marked a year of operation on Sunday. The building has received numerous accolades for its design and architecture, but it does not appear to be featured anywhere on Ellisdon’s website. The website lists numerous projects the company has built, with photos.
The praise the gallery has received in its first year contrasts starkly with the journey to get there.
Construction of a new cityowned gallery downtown at River Landing to replace the Mendel Art Gallery was first announced in the spring of 2009.
The new building and parkade was supposed to be completed by the fall of 2012 at a cost of $55 million.
Work on the new building started in May of 2013 with an opening set for three years later at a price of $93.7 million.
When the Mendel closed in June 2015, the Remai Modern Art Gallery of Saskatchewan was supposed to open in the fall of 2016. Many were surprised by the possibility of a one-year gap with no public art gallery, but it turned out to be more than two years.
The construction of the gallery was paid for through a mix of federal, provincial and city money, along with a substantial amount of fundraising.
It’s not certain who will pay the extra $4 million for the gallery.