Hospital alleges its floors aren't flat, files $100M lawsuit against builder

Humber River Health is suing the consortium contracted to physique and support its Toronto infirmary for $100 million, alleging that negligent plan and operation is creating wellness and information problems for patients and staff.

The lawsuit, filed successful aboriginal April, alleges that a "sizable portion" of the hospital's floors are not level oregon level and that immoderate of the flooring itself is deteriorating. 

"Floor levelness is simply a captious operational and information issue," reads Humber River Health's claim, filed successful Ontario Superior Court. 

"Non-level floors marque it hard for unit to determination equipment, supplies, food, and patients connected wheeled proscription devices. Often, wheeled carts person to beryllium placed down rubber stoppers to forestall the carts from sliding retired of position."

The connection of assertion goes connected to accidental that the level conditions "have led, and volition proceed to lead, to wellness and information issues" for patients and staff. It besides says that durability problems with the floors are having a large operational interaction arsenic "critical rooms" and areas of the infirmary person been unavailable due to the fact that of maintenance. 

Touted arsenic North America's archetypal afloat integer hospital, operation connected Humber River Hospital began successful 2011 and it opened successful October 2015. The installation was built done a public-private concern with Plenary Health Care Partnerships. The Ontario authorities contracted Plenary to design, build, finance, run and support the infirmary for 30 years.

WATCH | Why this infirmary is suing the consortium that built it: 

In a statement, Humber River Health spokesperson Joe Gorman said the infirmary is "implementing each indispensable measures to guarantee the champion acquisition for our patients, unit and community" portion it works to resoluteness these problems.

Plenary Health Care Partnerships hasn't filed a connection of defence yet. Due to contractual obligations, the consortium told CBC Toronto it couldn't comment.

Not the archetypal lawsuit

The level suit is the latest successful a bid of claims filed successful the past mates of years concerning alleged issues with the plan and operation of the northwest Toronto hospital. Since 2023, 4 different lawsuits totalling astatine slightest $10.4 cardinal person been filed by Plenary Health Care Partnerships against the contractor and assorted subcontractors hired to plan and physique the hospital. 

The claims are looking for compensation for spot harm from flooding caused by valve and breaker leaks and for plan flaws with its home h2o system, which affected blistery and acold h2o successful diligent rooms wrong the archetypal twelvemonth the infirmary opened, according to the tribunal filings. The leaks included 1 supra the ceiling of the hospital's crab attraction unit.

The contractor and subcontractors person filed statements of defence successful immoderate of those lawsuits. They contradict the allegations and immoderate liability claimed by the consortium. 

Two of the lawsuits concerning leaks and issues with the h2o strategy person spawned third-party claims from the subcontractors being sued claiming different third-party subcontractor should beryllium held liable successful their spot if the courts find damages are warranted, which they deny.

CBC Toronto contacted Ontario's Ministry of Health for remark connected whether it is acrophobic astir these alleged operation and plan issues with a nationalist infirmary that is conscionable 10 years aged and connected the interaction the problems are having connected infirmary operations and diligent care.

In a statement, a spokesperson said the ministry can't remark due to the fact that the substance is earlier the courts.