A painting contractor in Vancouver, Canada is suing the government for payment breaches over a bridge repair.

The lawsuit filed by Jamac Painting and Sandblasting out of New Brunswick alleges the city has not lived up to its end of the bargain over the delayed renovation of the Granville Street Bridge.

In 2022, the city hired the painting contractor to paint and restore parts of the 70-year-old structure.

The work couldn’t be completed, however, due to an ongoing issue the city is having with previous contractors.

Last year the city sued three unrelated contractors alleging several problems with their work, including improper application of sealer, no caulking, and faulty rubber troughs that allowed salt water spillage.

Because of these defects, the case alleges, Jamac’s part of the job was impacted beyond anything that could have been predicted in the contract.

Jamac had to do more extensive steel repairs than stipulated in the original contract, and painters had to work overnight without additional compensation from the city, according to the lawsuit.

After Jamac invoiced the city, Vancouver allegedly refused to pay the additional amount and wouldn’t say why.

The city is also refusing to talk to the media about either of the cases.

Phase 1 of the construction of the bridge – including building a pedestrian and bike path – is now scheduled to be completed in early summer. When these lawsuits will be resolved in another matter entirely.

This is a bit of turnabout is fair play, both for this specific project and bridge projects in general.

Recently we told you about the government in PIttsburgh – in association with the painter’s union – suing a painting contractor for refusing to pay overtime.

Clearly, there’s a lot more that can go wrong with bridge painting than more run-of-the-mill projects. Bid accordingly.