color: #38a6c1; var tdThemeName="Newspaper"; var td_magnific_popup_translation_ajax_tError="The content from %url% could not be loaded. 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. Both Mr. Georgiou and Mr. Aquino were involved with a startup bottled water company, GP8 Sportwater. That ruling has been appealed and a decision by the Ontario Court of Appeal has yet to be released. .tds-progress-bar1 .tdm-progress-bar:after, .td_block_template_9 .td-block-title:after, Copyright Of The Record 2020 All rights reserved. On Feb. 14, 2017, the two men exchanged e-mails about a proposed casino development in Vancouver that one of Mr. Aquinos neighbours was involved in financing. Alessandra Aquino, B. ENG, MBA, Vice President of Project Development. .tdm_block_list .tdm-list-item i, }); } } Is it fair to say you were doing this as a favour to him because of his role and influence at Infrastructure Ontario? Mr. Lerner asked. During his examination, he was asked by Zurich lawyer Brian Kolenda: Sir, you had been fired from the hospital some 18 months prior to this. .td_quote_on_blocks, .td-load-more-wrap a:hover, I need you at office immediately, Mr. Aquino wrote to Mr. Weinstock at 1:05 p.m. At 3:41 p.m., someone logged into Bondfields e-mail archiver and searched for all messages containing the term Vas Georgiou. Next, similar searches for keywords that might capture e-mails written by Mr. Georgiou were executed. As The Globe has reported previously, the SFO is also investigating alleged corruption at Torontos St. Michaels Hospital, which, in partnership with Infrastructure Ontario, selected Bondfield in 2014 to lead its $300-million redevelopment. 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. This backchannel was in contravention of numerous procurement rules, and if anyone discovered the e-mails, it would mean trouble for both men. Ontario Construction News staff writer Fax: 905-458-6020. It was granted creditor protection last spring. Mr. Aquino was a part owner of the company that owned the building and, during the same period of time Mr. Georgiou was evaluating bidders interested in redeveloping the hospital, Mr. Georgiou had been co-ordinating construction work at the building. htmlTag.className += ' ieEdge'; When he was asked about a 2013 e-mail from Mr. Aquino, which showed Bondfield replaced eight dead trees on Mr. Georgious property, Mr. Georgiou replied, I paid for those trees. He explained that he paid Mr. Aquino in cash and sports tickets. Lawyers for Mr. Aquino and Mr. Georgiou said it would be inappropriate for them to comment while the matter is before the courts. "name": "York Regional Police charge former Bondfield CEO John Aquino with assault, uttering" Mr. MacNaughton was named Canadas ambassador to the United States in March, 2016. .wpb_default, For his part, Mr. Georgiou denied, in his examination, having any interest whatsoever in the buildings. body .td_block_list_menu li.current-menu-ancestor > a, The Globe submitted more than 1,700 records. john-aquino-owner-bondfield-construction-company-ltd-and-co-founder-co-chair-of-the-icare-gala-with-wife-cinzia Johnson Ta 2015-07-08. a.vc_btn-black.vc_btn_square_outlined:hover, .td-scroll-up, E-mails recovered by Zurich show Mr. Aquino took comfort that Mr. Georgiou was in place for the RFQ. #bbpress-forums .bbp-body .sticky li.bbp-topic-title .bbp-topic-permalink, color: #38a6c1; .td_block_template_16 .td-related-title .td-cur-simple-item, Bondfield Construction reported bullet holes in its building on 2 occasions in the past month in just the latest incident of buildings, particularly in Vaughan, being targeted with guns .sf-menu ul .menu-item a { if ( -1 !== navigator.userAgent.indexOf('Firefox') ) { "; .td_block_template_1 .td-related-title, In making the award, the court concluded that "the looting of Bondfield by its CEO, John Aquino, and the other Bondfield Respondents to the tune of tens of millions of dollars rises to the level of reprehensible and scandalous behaviour that attracts the sanction of substantial indemnity costs." _____ After The Globe published a story on Sept. 24, 2015, outlining how Mr. Georgiou had been working on Mr. Aquinos commercial buildings at the same time he was evaluating bidders for the project, Mr. OBrien sprang into action. .td-block-title-wrap .td-wrapper-pulldown-filter .td-pulldown-filter-display-option:hover, .td_round_btn, 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. } We are yet without any Arrivals from any part of America, from Carolina as an embargo is in force for the exporting of Rice,1 it is not extraordinary, but from all the other Provinces some Vessels may be expected as there are . { 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:. Steve Aquino now is the CEO of Corebuild Construction Ltd., based in North York. That was not the only e-mail in which Mr. Georgiou used the word we to describe Bondfield. Ms. Divell, the Unity Health spokeswoman, declined to comment on the payments to Mr. Georgiou. Subcontractors were furious. But Mr. Aquinos strategy was not limited to litigation. .td-pulldown-syle-2 .td-subcat-dropdown ul:after, On Nov. 12, 2015, St. Michaels fired Mr. Georgiou for cause. .tds-button2 i, Aquino, who was the directing mind of Bondfield, arranged for a false invoicing scheme by which various suppliers rendered invoices to, and were paid by, Bondfield, but provided no actual services. Mr. Aquino sits in his SUV at the Bondfield office last October. 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. Bondfield was a construction company that operated in the Greater Toronto Area and elsewhere. var td_please_wait="Please wait"; Mr. Aquino was Bondfield's CEO when it won the St. Michael's contract in 2015. a, .td-header-wrap .black-menu .sf-menu > .sfHover > a, [17] John Aquino's employment with the Bondfield Group was terminated on October 15, .wpb_tabs li:hover a, The multifaceted police probe, which is now scrutinizing multiple hospital construction contracts as well as an alleged scheme to siphon $80-million out of Bondfield through the use of false invoices, is entering its third year. Needs to be unanimous. Zurich found scores of internal Bondfield documents with notations such as owe Vas $500,000 allegedly showing Mr. Georgiou received multiple benefits from Bondfield before, during and after the St. Michaels procurement. } Our Toronto office acts for Ernst & Young Inc., as monitor in the CCAA proceedings of Bondfield Construction Company Limited and various affiliates. 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. } } John Aquino, an unregistered lobbyist, breached 140-10 and 140-41A by sending a letter on behalf of Bondfield Construction Company Limited ("Bondfield") about the Tender to a City staff lawyer on September 30, 2013, when these communications were not permitted by the City's procurement policies and the procurement document. "; .td_block_wrap .td-subcat-item a.td-cur-simple-item { 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. get: function (resource_id) { EllisDons Middle East and North Africa (MENA) teams SeaWorld Abu Dhabi project has been awarded the Building Transformation Innovation Spotlight Ontario Construction News staff writer .sf-menu > .current-menu-ancestor > a:after, }, "@type": "WebPage", .dropcap3, remove: function (resource_id) { window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []}; .td-post-content blockquote p, .header-search-wrap .td-drop-down-search .btn:hover, this.is_ajax_running = false; That didnt stop Mr. Aquino. Evidence filed in court by Zurich includes Mr. Aquinos handwritten notes, which show he sought advice from Mr. MacNaughton. After Mr. Georgiou joined the hospital, the first hurdle Bondfield had to clear was the Request for Qualifications, or RFQ. The problem was that neither company, both of which were owned by Mr. Georgious family, had actually performed any work. Mr. Marafioti was not a party to that litigation and was not offered an opportunity to respond to Steven Aquinos testimony. 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"]}; #bbpress-forums .bbp-pagination .current, background-color: rgba(56, 166, 193, 0.7); By late 2012, the Ontario government had approved a major redevelopment, including a brand new 17-floor patient-care tower. .tds-button6 i, #td-mobile-nav .td-menu-login-section a:hover, "item": { 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. } 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 #bbpress-forums #bbp-single-user-details #bbp-user-navigation li.current a, 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. Over a number of years, Aquino and his associates were alleged to have carried out a false invoicing scheme by which they siphoned off tens of millions of dollars from both companies. Bondfield is highly regarded in many sectors. On Sept. 25, the company disseminated a statement, calling The Globes reporting false allegations. The Ontario General Contractors Association, which Mr. Aquino had recently chaired at the time, reprinted Bondfields statement, and encouraged its members to refrain from commenting on the allegations in the media. var tdBlocksArray = []; //here we store all the items for the current page TLDR: Zurich has ceased to fund construction. ( function () { In 2015, not long after Bondfield broke ground at the hospital, brown envelopes containing identical letters appeared in the mailboxes of four Globe and Mail journalists. The sprawling nature of the Bondfield probe also speaks to the companys significant role in Ontarios public sector, as well as the deep impact its 2019 insolvency left on the construction industry. Funding will go By Susanna McLeod To end the impasse, Infrastructure Ontario and St. Michaels took unprecedented steps, with the CEOs of both agencies exchanging e-mails and involving their boards. But behind the scenes, e-mails show, he continued to act as an aide to Mr. Aquino a whisperer who could help him navigate the politics of the hospital. On Jan. 29, 2013 just a few weeks after Mr. Georgiou started his new job at the hospital a Bondfield employee e-mailed Mr. Aquino to tell him he was working on the companys submission. (1979). "; On March 14, 2016, Mr. Aquino sought an audience with the leadership of the hospital, and was coached by Mr. Georgiou on his approach. 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. body .td_top_authors .td_mod_wrap:hover .td-author-comments-count, 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. htmlTag.className += ' ie10'; .td-theme-wrap .sf-menu ul .sfHover > a, .td-subcat-filter .td-subcat-dropdown a:hover, reported that the Bondfield Group had a cash flow concern. 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. color: #38a6c1; "name": "Home" Mr. Georgiou insisted he had been railroaded, and launched a wrongful dismissal lawsuit against St. Michaels. But that lawsuit that has been effectively dead since Bondfield sought bankruptcy protection. 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. border-color: transparent transparent #38a6c1 transparent; 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. if ( navigator.userAgent.indexOf("Edge") > -1 ) { As for how that information filtered down to Mr. Aquino, Mr. Georgiou told Zurichs lawyers he had no explanation. } Her extensive experience as a . .td_block_template_17 .td-related-title .td-cur-simple-item, The shipper promised his family a castle in the mid-1800s, and he was determined to follow through. var td_get_template_directory_uri="https:\/\/www.ontarioconstructionnews.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/td-composer\/legacy\/common"; Bondfield collapsed in 2019, fired Mr. Aquino as CEO and sought court protection from creditors. } Mr. Georgiou advised Mr. Aquino to keep his temper well known throughout Ontarios construction industry in check. Bondfield has been a major player in Ontario construction industry for years, booking hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue a year. } Mr. Aquino made good on his promise to hire a libel lawyer, though, turning to one of Canadas premier law firms, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. This is not entirely accurate. At all times, Osler acted professionally and ethically in advancing its clients interests in this litigation, Ms. Stein-Korte said. border-color: #38a6c1 !important; #bbpress-forums .bbp-pagination .current, The agency is investigating these troubling allegations, said spokeswoman Anne Marie Aikins. 0 0 805 All Time 0. .td_outlined_btn, } } In addition to running Bondfield, Mr. Aquino owned interests in numerous side ventures, including several residential housing developments and commercial buildings. Infrastructure Ontario launched an investigation of his dealings with Vas Georgiou. .post .td_quote_box, .tds-button6:after, this.td_column_number = ''; But the two men went back even further. this.atts = ''; The report touted the number of hours it spent interviewing witnesses (144) and the number of documents it reviewed (3,785) and made several sweeping conclusions. The mass deletion of those estimated 5,000 e-mails, however, did not capture every mention of Mr. Georgiou. Andy Pattenden confirmed in an email to Ontario Construction News (OCN) on Monday. var tdLocalCache = {}; .td-subcat-filter .td-subcat-dropdown:hover .td-subcat-more, The articles described an undisclosed commercial connection between the company's top executive, John Aquino, and a senior hospital executive, Vas Georgiou, who the paper said had admitted in. In the middle of all of this, after a 10-month investigation, a special committee of Infrastructure Ontarios board issued the results of its investigation into Mr. Georgiou and Mr. Aquino. I dont know if it was feedback I was getting from Vas or from my consultants.. .dropcap, tdLocalCache = { .widget_calendar tfoot a:hover, John Aquino, the former chief executive officer of Bondfield Construction Co. Ltd., was a domineering boss who was used to getting his way. On July 27, Mr. Georgiou reached out to Mr. Aquino: More importantly we need to connect on Mike and the BS going on down there and what we do to keep him., The next day, Mr. Aquino replied: I am worried about Smooth., Mr. Mendonca declined to answer a list of questions from The Globe about why he continued to engage with Mr. Georgiou after he was fired. Georgiou were executed President of Project Development that lawsuit that has been appealed and a decision the! 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