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Actually in this case the answer is fairly simple: it's corruption. Most people living in Ontario or Quebec know that the construction industry there is dominat

Actually in this case the answer is fairly simple: it's corruption. Most people living in Ontario or Quebec know that the construction industry there is dominated by the mob. You gotta be real careful not to step over the wrong people's feet, especially if you're going after public contracts. So, suffice to say, there is little real competition because most new competitors get literally threatened for their lives if they try to compete.

3pt14159 9y ago
I don’t know about the rest of Ontario, but this is 100% not true for the Toronto area. I used to be in the industry and I saw something shady only once and it was very, very minor. My brother is also a higher up at Ellis Don and he complains about concrete trucks getting stuck in traffic, not mob grift.
- horsecaptin 9y ago
  I know current senior engineers that see plenty of corruption and shady practice, including on road construction on a regular basis in Ontario, and yes, the Toronto area. Construction companies routinely don't build each layer of road up to code. Thus potholes appear much sooner than they should.
  - 3pt14159 9y ago
    Corruption is bribing the construction inspector to look the other way—it’s not laziness or poor workmanship. I’ve both worked for pavers and for the TTC as a construction inspector. Never once saw real corruption or a bribe over 5 years. I bent the rules a tiny bit once when a concrete placement was going sideways in the interests of expediency (but followed up with additional testing to make sure everything was ok) and the CEO got me a 26 of Crown Royal as a thanks. That’s the full extent of the shadiness that I’d witnessed.
    - horsecaptin 9y ago
      Since we're talking roads - layers of gravel, and asphalt - it is very easy to save a a lot of money by shaving off some thickness at any level. Construction companies the world over do this and a mm here and there are usually tolerated. Toronto area construction companies skim so much that the roads cave in. If it isn't corruption, then how are they getting away with it?
- jessaustin 9y ago
  "100% not true" is not the same as "not 100% true"...

3pt14159 9y ago

I don’t know about the rest of Ontario, but this is 100% not true for the Toronto area. I used to be in the industry and I saw something shady only once and it was very, very minor. My brother is also a higher up at Ellis Don and he complains about concrete trucks getting stuck in traffic, not mob grift.

horsecaptin 9y ago
I know current senior engineers that see plenty of corruption and shady practice, including on road construction on a regular basis in Ontario, and yes, the Toronto area. Construction companies routinely don't build each layer of road up to code. Thus potholes appear much sooner than they should.
- 3pt14159 9y ago
  Corruption is bribing the construction inspector to look the other way—it’s not laziness or poor workmanship. I’ve both worked for pavers and for the TTC as a construction inspector. Never once saw real corruption or a bribe over 5 years. I bent the rules a tiny bit once when a concrete placement was going sideways in the interests of expediency (but followed up with additional testing to make sure everything was ok) and the CEO got me a 26 of Crown Royal as a thanks. That’s the full extent of the shadiness that I’d witnessed.
  - horsecaptin 9y ago
    Since we're talking roads - layers of gravel, and asphalt - it is very easy to save a a lot of money by shaving off some thickness at any level. Construction companies the world over do this and a mm here and there are usually tolerated. Toronto area construction companies skim so much that the roads cave in. If it isn't corruption, then how are they getting away with it?
jessaustin 9y ago
"100% not true" is not the same as "not 100% true"...