Investors Group Field repairs to cost more than $35M, province approves loan guarantee By: Bartley Kives / Winnipeg Free Press
Two years after Investors Group Field opened its doors, the repair tab for the football stadium stands at no less than $35.3 million.
The province has approved a $35.3-million loan guarantee that will allow stadium owner Triple B Stadium -- shell company representing the city, province, University of Manitoba and the Winnipeg Football Club --to begin construction on the 33,500-seat facility after the Grey Cup is held in November.
Work will begin on the 200-level concourse, which will be replaced this winter, said Triple B Stadium chairman Andrew Konowalchuk.
In March, Triple B Stadium filed a statement of claim against stadium contractor Stuart Olson and architect Ray Wan, seeking damages for 42 "functional and operational defects" identified by Winnipeg consulting firm Architecture 49.
The alleged defects include slopes that drain water into the building, the failure to insulate sprinklers and concrete slabs so weak they are "a problem for moving kegs of beer," according to the lawsuit.
In a statement of defence filed in April, Stuart Olson denied most of Triple B’s allegations, stating the shell company made all the key construction decisions, in concert with the province, which paid for most of the construction up front.
In his own statement of defence, filed in June, Wan denied responsibility for dozens of alleged design and construction deficiencies at the venue — and blamed Triple B for cracked concrete slabs throughout its concourses.
Konowalchuk declined to comment on this lawsuit. He praised the province for providing a loan guarantee for the repairs.
Triple B Stadium is also paying off a $10-million CIBC stadium-building loan. This is on top of a $160-million provincial loan to the Winnipeg Football Club.