Ontario won’t release bridge repair cost estimates or say who will foot the bill
TORONTO — Repairs to a bridge in northwestern Ontario will take nearly three years and delays have pushed the total cost well over the initial $8 million to $12 million estimate, according to documents obtained by The Canadian Press.
But the Ontario government is refusing to say just how much over, and whether taxpayers will have to foot the bill for fixes to the Nipigon Bridge.
“Since the malfunction in January 2016 our top priority has been to ensure the public is aware of the status of the project and the cause of the malfunction,” Celso Pereira, the transportation minister’s spokesman, said in a statement.
“With that said, negotiations with the contractor regarding these costs are currently underway. As such, the ministry is not able to release them as it could jeopardize the status of these negotiations.”