Langford suing after mould found in arena’s ceiling

The designers and builders of Langford’s sevenyear-old, $14.1-million ice arena in City Centre Park are being sued after mould was discovered in the building’s ceiling.

A notice of civil claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court says that in August 2016, the city discovered defects that “were causing excessive or otherwise inappropriate amounts of condensation to form in or around the steel structures of the ceiling system, which in turn resulted in water damage and mould growth within the arena.”

The suit claims the moisture is due to “defects in the structural components in the arena, specifically in connection with the support beams, steel decking, gypsum board and ventilation system.”

Although the notice of civil claim names Langford as the plaintiff, Mayor Stew Young said the lawsuit is actually being brought by the city’s insurance company.

He said once the problem was discovered, the city made repairs. He did not have an estimate of those costs.

“We were insured and now it’s the insurance company is trying to recover their costs,” Young said. “So we’re not bringing the lawsuit, the insurance company is bringing it on our behalf.”

The civil claim maintains that several things contributed to or caused the condensation and moisture, including the design of the ceiling, a failure to properly inspect the ceiling during and after construction, a lack of waterproofing materials, and a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system that allowed for inappropriate levels of condensation.

The claim says Langford has had to bear the costs of investigating the cause, performing emergency repairs and remediation, repairing or replacing damaged contents and fixtures, diminution in the value of the arena and loss of rental income.