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. var tds_more_articles_on_post_time_to_wait=""; As far as your story goes, I wont provide any information on the victims, in order to protect them, Pattenden wrote to OCN. .tds-progress-bar1 .tdm-progress-bar:after, .tdm-btn-style3 { 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. The problem was that neither company, both of which were owned by Mr. Georgious family, had actually performed any work. Canadian singing legend, Andy Kim and his nine-piece band headlined the gala, providing the . Alessandra Aquino, B. ENG, MBA, Vice President of Project Development. .page-nav:first-child > div, background: linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(0,0,0,0.8) 0%, rgba(0,0,0,0.7) 100%); His request was declined. Her extensive experience as a . } a.vc_btn-black.vc_btn_square_outlined:hover, John Aquino, the former chief executive officer of Bondfield, is seen in his SUV outside Bondfields office in Vaughan, Ont., on April 20, 2020. "position": 2, Bondfield's office in Vaughan. He said he had never personally profited from the scheme, but acknowledged distributing part of the proceeds, in cash, to a friend who had asked him to issue the invoices. #bbpress-forums .bbp-forum-freshness a:hover, The Mareva was brought against John Aquino by Ernst & Young Inc., in its capacity as court-appointed monitor of Bondfield Construction Company Limited. .td_shadow_btn, .td-smart-list-button:hover, var tdDateNamesI18n={"month_names":["January","February","March","April","May","June","July","August","September","October","November","December"],"month_names_short":["Jan","Feb","Mar","Apr","May","Jun","Jul","Aug","Sep","Oct","Nov","Dec"],"day_names":["Sunday","Monday","Tuesday","Wednesday","Thursday","Friday","Saturday"],"day_names_short":["Sun","Mon","Tue","Wed","Thu","Fri","Sat"]}; var td_magnific_popup_translation_tPrev="Previous (Left arrow key)"; -moz-box-shadow: 0 2px 16px #38a6c1; var tds_more_articles_on_post_enable=""; .td_outlined_btn, Bondfield collapsed in 2019, fired Mr. Aquino as CEO and sought court protection from creditors. The Globe and Mail reported last week that arrest followed an investigation by YRP detectives of several complaints from current and former staff of Bondfield in Vaughan. Needs to be unanimous. .td-post-content blockquote p, font-family:"Work Sans"; .td_block_template_5 .td-block-title > *, .td_block_template_1 .td-related-title .td-cur-simple-item, .sf-menu > li:hover > a:after, #td-mobile-nav .td-menu-login-section a:hover, (Mr. Georgiou was also suing St. Michaels for wrongful dismissal. .td_3D_btn, ), In August, 2016, Mr. Georgiou e-mailed Mr. Aquino, and in an apparent reference to litigation, said: It is time to play smart offense, enough stay at home defense., The next month, Mr. Georgiou sought a letter from Bondfield that would state neither he, nor any company associated with him, had received any compensation from Mr. Aquino or any companies associated with Mr. Aquino. That was a conflict of interest neither man disclosed. } if( -1 !== navigator.userAgent.indexOf('IEMobile') ){ }, John Aquino, the former chief executive officer of Bondfield Construction Co. Ltd., was a domineering boss who was used to getting his way. .td-load-more-wrap a:hover, A pedestrian passes the St. Michael's Hospital emergency entrance this past fall. .td-next-prev-wrap a:hover, #bbpress-forums .bbp-topic-started-in a:hover, border-color: #38a6c1; 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. #td-mobile-nav .td-register-section a:hover, Mr. Anastasio was an associate of John Aquino, Bondfield's then-CEO, who the monitor has also alleged took part in the scheme. googletag.enableServices(); .tds-button2:before, The only problem that September day was that Bondfields go-to IT official, Benny Weinstock, was off for Rosh Hashanah and was prohibited, religiously, from working until the two-day celebration ended at sundown. googletag.defineSlot('/1003600/728x90ocnews', [728, 90], 'div-gpt-ad-1663612288383-0').addService(googletag.pubads()); On May 18, 2014 three days before the deadline Mr. Georgiou advised Mr. Aquino to keep certain costs out of Bondfields proposed price, explaining that he could always fight later when we are No. 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. Mr. Aquino sits in his SUV at the Bondfield office last October. var tdb_modal_cancel_alt="No"; He resumed using his Bondfield e-mail address, [email protected], which had not come to light when he was fired, and was given a new BlackBerry by Mr. Aquino. .td-block-title-wrap .td-wrapper-pulldown-filter .td-pulldown-filter-display-option:hover, #td-mobile-nav .td-menu-socials-wrap a:hover i, this.td_user_action = ''; // load more or infinite loader (used by the animation) var td_magnific_popup_translation_tNext="Next (Right arrow key)"; .vc_tta-container .vc_tta-color-grey.vc_tta-tabs-position-top.vc_tta-style-classic .vc_tta-tabs-container { } .td-pulldown-syle-2 .td-subcat-dropdown ul:after, if ( -1 !== navigator.userAgent.indexOf('Mac OS X') ) { 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. var td_magnific_popup_translation_tCounter="%curr% of %total%"; The terms of the settlement are confidential, but the evidence unearthed by Zurich contains a hint about what Mr. Georgiou received. "@id": "https://www.ontarioconstructionnews.com/category/aroundprovince/", The unsealed documents were filed by Zurich Insurance Co. Ltd., which issued surety bonds on the project. Architect Ontario Construction News staff writer As the deadline for the final bids crept closer, Mr. Aquino and Mr. Georgiou continued to exchange messages on the secret BlackBerry and Mr. Georgious bondfield.com e-mail account. Once installed at Bondfields headquarters north of Toronto, Zurich found evidence that Mr. Aquino and Mr. Georgiou had been improperly exchanging information throughout the St. Michaels bidding process. .td-search-background:before { But the two men went back even further. a.vc_btn-black:hover, Mr. Aquino was an owner of the company, and shortly after Mr. Georgious arrival at St. Michaels, the hospital installed two GP8 water vending machines. body .td_top_authors .td-active .td-author-comments-count, .td_block_template_4 .td-related-title .td-cur-simple-item, On June 18, 2018, Zurich advised that it would be winding down the Bondfield Group. In 2014 in the middle of the St. Michaels procurement Bondfields then controller, Domenic Dipede, exchanged e-mails with another Potentia shareholder, Ted Manziaris, about Mr. Aquino and Mr. Georgiou investing. The top two floors remain under construction, Ms. Divell said. 2. Resides in Burbank, CA. John Aquino, the former chief executive officer of Bondfield, is seen in his SUV outside Bondfields office in Vaughan, Ont., on April 20, 2020.Cole Burston/The Globe and Mail. .td-read-more a, Bondfield's office in Vaughan. Now, St. Michaels just needed someone to manage the project. 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. .td-trending-now-wrapper:hover .td-trending-now-title, Mr. Georgiou advised Mr. Aquino to keep his temper well known throughout Ontarios construction industry in check. The patient care tower at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto on Aug. 31, 2018. #bbpress-forums .bbp-pagination .current, { Mr. Aquino was Bondfield's CEO when it won the St. Michael's contract in 2015. Aquino, 48, was arrested and charged on Sept. 23, York Regional Police (YRP) Staff Sgt. Zurich is seeking a court order to rescind the surety bonds it issued. March 22, 2022 John Aquino, the former president of a major and now bankrupt Ontario construction contractor, plans to appeal a provincial court ruling that puts him and his associates on the. On Oct. 24, 2015, Mr. Aquino also tried, unsuccessfully, to get a Bondfield employee, who was married to a Toronto Star journalist, to persuade The Star to interview him in an effort to counter attack The Globe. } I think that is wrong. htmlTag.className += ' td-md-is-chrome'; } If not for this change in scores, Bondfield would not have been qualified.. He was released with a next court date of Jan. 6, 2021, Pattenden wrote. He also co-chaired, with John Aquino, an annual fundraising gala for Runnymede Health Centre, a small hospital in Torontos west end that was redeveloped by Bondfield in 2007. Winning the St. Michaels contract would elevate the company into the big leagues with rivals EllisDon and PCL Construction. .block-title > a, John Aquino, the former chief executive officer of Bondfield Construction Co. Ltd., was a domineering boss who was used to getting his way. Mr. Georgiou was never charged criminally, but York sued him to recover the funds a suit that was settled out of court. "item": { Infrastructure Ontario signs hang on the construction hoarding outside St. Michael's in 2018. background-color: #38a6c1; .post .td_quote_box, Zurich argues that the alleged collusion should nullify any obligation it has to pay for the completion of the project. The company also recently redeveloped the offices of the Sunnybrook Foundation, which is not taxpayer funded. EllisDons design was considered non-compliant and it was disqualified. .td-subfooter-menu li a:hover, The Globe quoted Steven Aquinos testimony in a letter to Mr. Marafioti, but he did not address it in his response. { Mr. MacNaughton was named Canadas ambassador to the United States in March, 2016. This backchannel was in contravention of numerous procurement rules, and if anyone discovered the e-mails, it would mean trouble for both men. .tds-social3 .tdm-social-item { 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. 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. .widget a:hover, Next post This is the most recent story. He didnt pay because he was a friend and a client, he said. A special committee of the board of Infrastructure Ontario went so far as to conclude that the St. .td-search-form-widget .wpb_button:hover, Bondfields statement of claim alleged The Globe article had the clear inference that the contract was awarded because of corruption. The firm was required to conduct a review of its own records when the court-appointed monitor for Bondfield which sought bankruptcy protection in 2019 obtained a judges order requiring anyone with evidence of the deletions to preserve those documents. In the e-mail exchanges shown at top, a Bondfield staffer tells Mr. Aquino he has found turf for the backyard at Mr. Georgious Toronto home, at bottom right in satellite view, with the house at street view at bottom left. That is why clients turn to us to solve their most complex legal problems. But sensitive and confidential bidding information continued to flow Mr. Aquinos way. The Globe submitted more than 1,700 records. The Globe filed a motion in court to have Bondfields lawsuit dismissed under the Protection of Public Participation Act an Ontario law passed to quash meritless lawsuits that are launched not to seek an actual remedy, but to intimidate and suppress speech that is in the public interest. After publishing its first piece, The Globe learned that, at the same time Mr. Georgiou had been evaluating bids for the St. Michaels project, he had also been working on the side for companies owned by Mr. Aquino. .td_block_template_6 .td-related-title .td-cur-simple-item, font-family:"Work Sans"; Mr. Aquino rallied allies in the construction industry and a prominent Conservative fundraiser. .td-header-wrap .black-menu .sf-menu > .current-category-ancestor > a, } Born April 20, 1948 Add or change photo on IMDbPro Add to list Known for Blow Out 7.4 Detective Mackey 1981 And Justice for All 7.4 Deputy Sheriff 1979 Ryan's Hope 7.3 TV Series var tdLocalCache = {}; But Mr. Aquino knew Bondfields computer servers held evidence of something worse. VICE-PRESIDENT & SECRETARY Learn More David Petrie VP OPERATIONS Learn More Kevin Hicks, CPA, CMA CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Learn More Ajith Lokuge, B.Sc. exist: function (resource_id) { Mark can be reached at. Some information may no longer be current. } Zurich, which issued bonds for dozens of Bondfields public infrastructure contracts across the province, was forced to insert itself into the companys affairs. Sure enough, the day after Mr. Georgious argument with Mr. Toigo, Mr. Aquino wrote detailed notes about the dispute in his notebook right down to Bondfields low design score. Mr. Marafioti was first hired at Sunnybrook in 1989. .tdm_block_column_content:hover .tdm-col-content-title-url .tdm-title, #bbpress-forums #bbp-single-user-details #bbp-user-navigation li.current a, } The corruption investigation into Bondfield Construction Co. Ltd., once one of the largest builders of public sector projects in Ontario, has widened to include its contracts with a second Toronto hospital, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. .wpb_text_column blockquote p, googletag.cmd.push(function() { Bondfield, now insolvent, grew rapidly in the middle of the last decade. The Bondfield group is the general contractor on a number of large scale infrastructure and other construction projects in Ontario. Bondfield sued the Globe. 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:. Mr. Toigos opposition had serious implications. And with Mr. Georgiou in a position of influence, Bondfield had a clear edge. .td_block_template_11 .td-related-title .td-cur-simple-item, When asked by Zurichs lawyers how he had such detailed information about a confidential meeting only a day after the argument, Mr. Aquino said he couldnt recall precisely who told him. } Mr. Marafioti was not a party to that litigation and was not offered an opportunity to respond to Steven Aquinos testimony. John Bondfield to the Commissioners, 3 October 1778. The mass deletion of those estimated 5,000 e-mails, however, did not capture every mention of Mr. Georgiou. .td_quote_on_blocks, Sign up today. So much of what Runnymede Healthcare Centre does would simply not be possible without the helping hands and open hearts of the hospital's generous donors. var tdThemeName="Newspaper"; 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. .td-mobile-content .current-category-ancestor > a, For a number of people with inside knowledge about the procurement, the reports findings were puzzling. if ( !!navigator.userAgent.match(/Trident. Osler declined to say how much it was paid by Bondfield. For its part, Zurich said, through its lawyer, that it disagreed with that assertion. The company was in big trouble. .header-search-wrap .td-drop-down-search:after, .td_block_template_9 .td-related-title .td-cur-simple-item, .tds-button6:before, 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. At all times, Osler acted professionally and ethically in advancing its clients interests in this litigation, Ms. Stein-Korte said. .archive .widget_archive .current, .wpb_default, tdLocalCache.remove(resource_id); None of the allegations have been proved in court. "name": "Home" I am with Vas. Our Toronto office acts for Ernst & Young Inc., as monitor in the CCAA proceedings of Bondfield Construction Company Limited and various affiliates. 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