COVID-19 has sent a lot of people home, but one thing that's pressing forward unimpeded is the $6.9 million re-glazing and re-cladding construction project at the Civic Centre.
"It is proceeding as an essential service," says Don Elliott, the city's director of engineering.
"Progress on the outside of the Civic Centre is going well. Completion is scheduled for the fall," Elliott says.
On Monday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford ordered all non-essential workplaces to close before Wednesday.
But construction work and demolition in the industrial, commercial, institutional and residential sectors were specifically exempted.
“When it comes to the necessities of life, shelter is at the top of the list and we cannot take lightly a decision that could put shelter for thousands of people at risk," the premier said.
The Canadian Construction Association, representing 20,000 member companies, applauded Ontario's decision, arguing that compliant construction sites should remain open, but those unable to consistently comply with guidelines from public health authorities should be shut down.
Other groups including the Carpenters’ District Council of Ontario called for a temporary halt to all construction work.
"The construction workers of this province should not be expected to work on jobsites where the basic safety requirements for COVID-19 are not being met," said Tony Iannuzzi, executive secretary-treasurer of the carpenters' union.
"Those minimum standards simply do not exist on most of our jobsites now and we cannot get Ministry of Labour inspectors out to deal with problems our members are having," Iannuzzi said.
"Many jobsites have no facilities for workers to even wash their hands using soap and hot water and 'social distancing' is just not possible," the union said in a written statement.
Premier Ford has said new guidelines have been issued for construction sites and "if the industry does not take every step necessary to look after their workers, I will shut them down because this is first and foremost a public health emergency."
Recladding Sault Ste. Marie's Civic Centre was pinpointed as a priority in a 2015 asset management plan that cited metal panel support deterioration and numerous seal failures in insulated windows.
As City Council approved its 2018 municipal budget on Dec. 4, 2017, SooToday reported that water was pouring by the bucket through the Civic Centre's east wall.
General contractor Cy Rheault Construction Ltd. of Timmins began working on the site in June 2018, with job completion originally set for June 2019.
A subcontractor was fired and timelines changed, with a revised completion date set for the end of last year.
Last August, an early-morning rain brought down ceilings in the adjoining offices of Mayor Christian Provenzano and chief administrative officer Malcolm White.
SooToday found a hole in the building's still-under-construction easterly wall, exposing the building's interior to the elements.
