this.post_count = 0; //from wp Aquicon has grown exponentially since those early days, and now serves an array of sectors including recreation centres, multi-storey residential facilities, operation centres and post-secondary institutions. Mark Buckshon, Publisher, Ontario Construction News. He has not been charged with a criminal offence, and he did not respond to a request for comment. Now, a recently established investigative agency of police officers and prosecutors, Ontarios Serious Fraud Office, has launched a sweeping probe into Mr. Aquino, Mr. Georgiou and the procurement. } When questioned by Zurichs lawyers, Mr. Georgiou insists he didnt invest. Former Bondfield CEO faces seven criminal charges including assault and uttering threats, St. Michaels Hospital says Zurich Insurance is obligated to pay to finish work on Bondfield project, Insurer says it isnt liable for finishing Bondfield renovation. The Globe and Mail reported that the complainants include two Bondfield officials who allege Aquino threatened to kill them in the months before he was fired in 2018, and one employee who alleged Aquino returned to a Bondfield storage facility in April of this year and assaulted him with a weapon. But on Sept. 15, 2015, he was up against an ancient. The company had just eked out a passing grade. Thanks again for cigar it was good to see you and you have charged my batteries.. Tel: 905-458-1313 ext. Pension documents provided by St. Michaels to Zurich show that Mr. Georgiou received his salary from Nov. 12, 2015 to May 12, 2017 payments totalling $477,000. If you would like to receive this service, just complete the information below. Prosecutors filed detention orders against the accused in Rome and in Reggio Calabria, the capital of the southern Italian region where the 'Ndrangheta, the proper name of the Mafia there, was. John Matheson, general counsel of StrategyCorp., said in an interview he cannot talk about the firms business with current or former clients. This backchannel was in contravention of numerous procurement rules, and if anyone discovered the e-mails, it would mean trouble for both men. Special to Ontario Construction News Mr. Georgiou worked at Infrastructure Ontario from 2006 until he was dismissed in 2012, after he was implicated in a false invoice scheme at Torontos York University. Ms. Divell, the Unity Health spokeswoman, declined to comment on the payments to Mr. Georgiou. Have the Top Business Headlines newsletter conveniently delivered to your inbox in the morning or evening. The corporate entities sought to vary the Mareva on the basis that Mr. Aquino had no ongoing ownership interest over certain assets subject to the Order. a.vc_btn-black:hover, The evaluators gave the company a design score of 70.74 per cent only a hair above the 70-per-cent threshold for disqualification. this.td_current_page = 1; // We salute and recognize our Gala Co-chairs, John Aquino, Bondfield Construction and Sam Ciccolini, SJC Investments Inc., as well as our donors, friends and benefactors who generously supported this worthwhile cause and made it a truly special event. It was granted creditor protection last spring. Three days before the deadline for bids, Mr. Georgiou advises Mr. Aquino to keep certain costs out of Bondfields proposed price. return tdLocalCache.data[resource_id]; .td-trending-now-wrapper:hover .td-trending-now-title, The author of the letters, which were unsigned, urged the reporters to look into the many ties between Mr. Georgiou and Mr. Aquino, and the awarding of the St. Michaels contract. The monitor and . The problem was that neither company, both of which were owned by Mr. Georgious family, had actually performed any work. Throughout the RFQ stage of the procurement the phase that Bondfield barely survived, if not for the rescoring of the submissions Mr. Georgiou was co-ordinating with Bondfield, readying two buildings, owned in part by Mr. Aquino, for new commercial tenants. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Zurich determined that the two men communicated secretly throughout the hospital bidding process. // td_js_generator - mini detector A police investigation, which is being led by a provincial law enforcement initiative known as the Serious Fraud Office, is targeting Sam Marafioti, a Sunnybrook executive who oversaw construction and planning until his recent resignation from the hospital. 1. .vc_tta-container .vc_tta-color-grey.vc_tta-tabs-position-top.vc_tta-style-classic .vc_tta-tabs-container .vc_tta-tab.vc_active > a, John Aquino talks on the phone in his SUV last April outside Bondfield's office in Vaughan. The result was a $125-million libel lawsuit from the construction company. Ukraine Interior Minister Killed In Helicopter Crash, Greta v. Polizei, Worlds Oldest Person Dies, Didi reopens to new users after $1.2-B fine, Jordan, Latvia and Israel shake up diplomatic corps after Shadow Diplomats investigation ICIJ. #bbpress-forums li.bbp-header .bbp-reply-content span a:hover, You can receive a daily update of certificates and notices published in Ontario Construction News, sent around 7:30 a.m. each morning. .td_block_template_17 .td-related-title .td-cur-simple-item, .block-title > a, .tdm-btn-style2:before { The aggregate value of these projects is in the billions of dollars. { Under questioning by Zurichs lawyer, Matthew Lerner, Mr. Aquino acknowledged Bondfield performed all of this work free of charge. Why on earth would Mr. Mendonca, you and Mr. Aquino, for any legitimate purpose, need to be discussing St. Mikes at all?. York Regional Police have laid seven criminal charges against former Bondfield Construction Co. Ltd. chief executive officer John Aquino. John Aquino Attorney and Author Silver Spring, MD 659 others named John Aquino are on LinkedIn See others named John Aquino Add new skills with these courses Photoshop and Illustrator:. .td-theme-wrap .sf-menu ul .td-menu-item > a:hover, } But that lawsuit that has been effectively dead since Bondfield sought bankruptcy protection. if ( -1 !== navigator.userAgent.indexOf('Safari') && -1 === navigator.userAgent.indexOf('Chrome') ) { Sign up today. The notes say he discussed with Mr. MacNaughton whether he should proactively get out in front of the issues Globe reporters were probing, or wait until after the newspaper published an article. if ( user_agent.indexOf("android") > -1 ) { return tdLocalCache.data.hasOwnProperty(resource_id) && tdLocalCache.data[resource_id] !== null; Bondfield's financing for St. Michael's project meant it wouldn't receive any taxpayer support from the public-private partnership until after the patient-care tower was finished.Cole Burston/The Globe and Mail. But Mr. Aquino knew Bondfields computer servers held evidence of something worse. Mr. Aquino was Bondfield's CEO when it won the St. Michael's contract in 2015. EllisDons design was considered non-compliant and it was disqualified. Not only was Mr. Georgiou friends with Mr. Aquino, the two men were working together on multiple business ventures a pair of commercial buildings in midtown Toronto, as well as a bottled water company, GP8 Sportwater. .td-menu-background:before, If the insurance giant is successful, it raises questions about who will ultimately pay for the redevelopment, which is 3 years behind schedule and has left the hospital with an unfinished project in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bondfield faced more than 200 lawsuits from unpaid creditors and subcontractors, and work on the companys projects across Ontario ground to a halt. These are often referred to as SLAPP suits (Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation). Workplace safety and health will continue to evolve, and the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) will continue to connect you with industry expertise, a network of like-minded peers and the latest innovations. But the court documents also offer a rare peek into another aspect of the Bondfield scandal: the many steps taken by Mr. Aquino to suppress the truth, destroy evidence and kill a story that threatened to derail a company. Mr. Aquino rallied allies in the construction industry and a prominent Conservative fundraiser. In 2020, Mr. Aquino was examined by lawyers for Zurich, and a transcript was part of the court filings unsealed at the request of The Globe. The terms of the settlement are confidential, but the evidence unearthed by Zurich contains a hint about what Mr. Georgiou received. body .td_top_authors .td_mod_wrap:hover .td-authors-name a, In an e-mail to The Globe, Mr. Ciccolini says he was merely offering his support because of his long-standing relationship with John Aquinos father, Ralph. .tds-progress-bar3 .tdm-progress-bar:after { Our Toronto office acts for Ernst & Young Inc., as monitor in the CCAA proceedings of Bondfield Construction Company Limited and various affiliates. He was released with a next court date of Jan. 6, 2021, Pattenden wrote. On March 10, Mr. Aquino reached out to Mr. Georgiou when he heard from a Bondfield staffer that Mr. Mendonca was considering quitting: Talk to Smooth. In the meantime, our focus will remain on what has been our priority for more than 130 years and what matters even more right now caring for those who need us most during this unprecedented pandemic, she said. Mr. MacNaughton could not be reached for comment. border-color: #38a6c1; } var tds_more_articles_on_post_time_to_wait=""; On March 19, The Globe successfully argued to Ontario Superior Court Justice Cory Gilmore that the records uncovered by Zurich should be released to the public. gtag('js', new Date()); this.ajax_pagination_infinite_stop = ''; //show load more at page x } } A 2018 satellite image of Mr. Georgious yard, examined by The Globe and taken at a time of year when everyone elses lawn is drab and grey, shows a patch of bright green turf next to his pool and gazebo. htmlTag.className += ' ie10'; } The project was a public-private partnership, which meant Bondfield paid for all of the construction through a credit facility funded by a syndicate of banks, led by the Bank of Montreal. "@context": "http://schema.org", border-color: #38a6c1; The new leak was announced Jan. 9, seven Ontario Construction News staff writer In the e-mail, Mr. Aquino directed a Bondfield staffer to charge the work on Mr. Georgious home to Pick Go. This is a reference to a parking garage Bondfield was building at the time at a Pickering, Ont., GO Transit station, Zurich alleges. "@type": "BreadcrumbList", .td-subcat-filter .td-subcat-list a:hover, We'll see you in San Antonio! var td_pass_empty="Pass empty! Neither disclosed these conflicts of interest in declarations they were required to fill out at the start of the St. Michaels procurement. a, In the email to OCN, Pattendden wrote that Aquino has been charged with two counts of Assault with a Weapon, a single Break and Enter count, and four counts of Uttering Threats. Join to connect Bondfield Construction Company Limited. The Bondfield group is the general contractor on a number of large scale infrastructure and other construction projects in Ontario. The documents, Zurich alleges, show that Mr. Aquino bestowed multiple benefits on Mr. Georgiou, including free home renovations, and that Mr. Georgiou intervened on Bondfields behalf to help it secure the St. Michaels contract. Funding will go By Susanna McLeod } .td-subcat-filter .td-subcat-dropdown a:hover, As for St. Michaels, the hospital settled its wrongful dismissal lawsuit with Mr. Georgiou. 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[17] John Aquino's employment with the Bondfield Group was terminated on October 15, } Those bonds are insurance-like contracts that were supposed to act as a safety net for the project, and required Zurich to foot the bill in the event Bondfield faltered. tdLocalCache.remove(resource_id); John Aquino was the directing mind of Bondfield Construction Company Limited (BCCL), a construction company that operated in and around Toronto, as well as its affiliate, Forma-Con Construction (CC), which performed concrete forming. ,{ var td_magnific_popup_translation_ajax_tError="The content from %url% could not be loaded. "@type": "ListItem", })(); In its statement, Unity Health characterized Zurichs lawsuit as an attempt to get out of its obligations under the surety bonds, and noted that the healthcare network has countersued the insurer. "; #bbpress-forums .bbp-body .sticky li.bbp-topic-title .bbp-topic-permalink, "@type": "ListItem", Click here to leave a comment! Alessandra Aquino, B. ENG, MBA, Vice President of Project Development. Some information may no longer be current. Winning the St. Michaels contract would elevate the company into the big leagues with rivals EllisDon and PCL Construction. font-family:"Work Sans"; if ( !!navigator.userAgent.match(/Trident. .td-instagram-user a, .sf-menu > .sfHover > a:after, They also sometimes obtain a courts permission to execute civil search warrants on residences and businesses what is known as an Anton Piller order. } Mr. Aquino and his company had many reasons to cheer the news. color: #38a6c1; } Do not get upset or angry, he wrote. body .td_top_authors .td-active .td-author-comments-count, John Aquino, who headed up the company until he was fired in 2018, received the messages from a St. Michael's insider who had been given a "concealed" Bondfield.com e-mail account, investigators with Ernst & Young Inc. allege in the court filings. this.found_posts = 0; //from wp var htmlTag = document.getElementsByTagName("html")[0]; Bondfield also launched a public relations campaign with clients, suppliers and subcontractors to assure them nothing improper had taken place with the St. Michaels procurement. Aquino, a former Ontario General Contractors Association chair, has been charged with two counts of assault with a weapon; break and enter; and four counts of uttering threats. That phase is designed to narrow the potential bidders down to a shortlist of the three top candidates. Experience CFO Bondfield Construction Company Limited . Under John Aquinos leadership, the contractor secured several high-profile government contracts, worth a total of more than $1-billion, to redevelop major Ontario landmarks and vital pieces of infrastructure, the newspaper reported. And falter it did. .tdm_block_pricing .tdm-pricing-feature i, After Bondfields collapse, Zurich launched an investigation and discovered that John Aquino had issued a BlackBerry to Vas Georgiou, the then-chief administrative officer of St. Michaels. .td_block_template_15 .td-related-title .td-cur-simple-item, .td-footer-wrapper .td-post-category, #bbpress-forums .bbp-topic-started-by a:hover, Using the word we loosely did not infer that I was on his team and I wanted him to win and not the others, he said. var tdThemeName="Newspaper"; .tds-button6:before, For his part, Mr. Georgiou denied, in his examination, having any interest whatsoever in the buildings. (Mr. Georgiou was also suing St. Michaels for wrongful dismissal. Manipulated invoices for the renovation and improvement of Ralph Aquino's G, residence approved by Steven Aquino and Ralph Aquino and paid for by Bondfield Construction Company Limited Photo of Steven Aquino, John Aquino, and Joe Anastasio, amongst others, at the H World of Concrete Exposition in January 2017 .wpb_default:hover, Mr. Georgiou replied: I wanted to make sure that the project was a success, regardless of my departure from St. Mikes. He said there was nothing untoward about his continued involvement. Mr. Georgiou replied three hours later, saying he spoke with Mr. Mendonca, who he said had agreed to hang in. He explained that Mr. Mendonca felt trapped because work on the project had come to a standstill, and that he was going to get trashed at the upcoming St. Michaels board meeting. Bondfield, represented by the team at Osler, filed a notice of libel and later launched a $125-million defamation lawsuit against The Globe, its publisher and three Globe reporters. var td_ad_background_click_target=""; Last week, The Globe published a story about the unsealed records evidence that was compiled by Zurich Insurance Company Ltd., the multinational company that issued more than $1-billion in construction surety bonds to Bondfield. The articles addressed the connection between the appellant and its president, John Aquino, with Vas Georgiou, a senior executive at SMH who was on the committee that awarded the construction contract to the appellant. In an e-mailed statement, a spokesperson for Metrolinx, the provincial agency that oversees GO Transit, said it learned about this allocation because of The Globes inquiries. .td-mobile-content .current-menu-item > a, Your time is valuable. The alleged kickbacks were discovered by Zurich after it launched a lawsuit last year against Mr. Georgiou, Mr. Aquino and Unity Health Toronto the hospital network that includes St. Michaels arguing the two men orchestrated a bid-rigging scheme to ensure Bondfield won the contract. That didnt stop Mr. Aquino. He sued The Globe as well, but never proceeded past filing a statement of claim. He also retained a public affairs specialist, David MacNaughton, who just six months later would be named Canadas ambassador to the United States. } The company was in big trouble. "item": { Mr. Marafioti was first hired at Sunnybrook in 1989. Architect Ontario Construction News staff writer .td-close-video-fixed { .sf-menu > .current-category-ancestor > a:after, Osler complied with the order, and determined it had no records mentioning Mr. Georgious secret e-mail address, the firms spokesperson, Judy Stein-Korte, said in the statement. htmlTag.className += ' ie11'; Most startling was that it alleges former Ontario General Contractors Association chair John Aquino, a 33 per cent shareholder in the privately-held business founded by his father Ralph 50 years ago, took $5.2 million. Both Mr. Georgiou and Mr. Aquino were involved with a startup bottled water company, GP8 Sportwater. .td-page-content blockquote p, this.max_num_pages = 0; //from wp SafetyCo Partners, a new national occupational health and safety company, aims to change the face of safety consulting in Canada Mark Buckshon has published regional construction news publications in Ontario since 1989. .td_outlined_btn, "@type": "ListItem", Mr. Aquino also wanted to know if his name showed up in any public records connected with a commercial building in Toronto. Since that time, he has served in multiple roles, including overseeing construction and working as the hospitals chief information officer. St. Michael's Hospital in 2015, the year that Bondfield Construction Co. Ltd. won a contract to manage a major redevelopment there.Kevin Van Paassen/The Globe and Mail. .td_block_template_9 .td-block-title:after, It must be recognized that neither the legal nor forensic accounting teams had the power to compel documents and testimony from unwilling parties.. tdLocalCache = { Also in September, 2015, Mr. Aquino retained a public relations expert, Liberal insider David MacNaughton and his then firm, StrategyCorp, to craft responses to one of The Globes line of inquiries. Bondfield, a mid-sized, family-owned construction company, was making a push to join the ranks of Ontarios biggest players in public infrastructure. Lived In North Hollywood CA, West Hollywood CA, Los Angeles CA, Boca Raton FL. .block-title > label, .vc_tta-container .vc_tta-color-grey.vc_tta-tabs-position-top.vc_tta-style-classic .vc_tta-tabs-container { color: #38a6c1; body .td_block_list_menu li.current-menu-item > a, } this.block_type = 1; //block type id (1-234 etc) Mr. Georgious lawyer said her client denies any wrongdoing. Following an in-depth peer review process, the 2022 Lexpert Special Edition: Canada's Leading Litigation Lawyers guide recognizes 15 Lenczner Slaght lawyers for their extensive courtroom experience and subject-matter expertise. On July 23, 2014, the evaluators tasked with reviewing the design submissions of the bidders presented their scores to the steering committee of four senior officials, including Mr. Georgiou. Mr. Aquino was Bondfield's CEO when it won the St. Michael's contract in 2015.Cole Burston/The Globe and Mail. In addition to running Bondfield, Mr. Aquino owned interests in numerous side ventures, including several residential housing developments and commercial buildings. .td-post-next-prev-content a:hover, Needs to be unanimous. An Ontario Superior Court judge found that those funds were illegitimately transferred to subcontractors for services that were never delivered. Despite being terminated with cause the result of which was supposed to be the full termination of all of his compensation Mr. Georgiou received his full salary for another 18 months. The shipper promised his family a castle in the mid-1800s, and he was determined to follow through. Late at night on Sept. 9, 2015, and into the early morning hours the next day, Mr. Aquino fired off several e-mails to Mr. Dipede: Who owns shares of GP8. For its part, Bondfield produced 56 records. window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; Vas Georgiou, top, and John Aquino, bottom. background: -moz-linear-gradient(top, rgba(0,0,0,0.8) 0%, rgba(0,0,0,0.7) 100%); Yesterday arrived from Edenton the Sloop Sally Cap Norton which place he left the 6th June.
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