Copyright Of The Record 2020 All rights reserved. .td-post-small-box a:hover, .block-title > span, Mr. Aquino sits in his SUV at the Bondfield office last October. Alessandra Aquino, B. ENG, MBA, Vice President of Project Development. 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. } background: linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(0,0,0,0.8) 0%, rgba(0,0,0,0.7) 100%); this.max_num_pages = 0; //from wp "; .block-title > label, After Mr. Georgiou joined the hospital, the first hurdle Bondfield had to clear was the Request for Qualifications, or RFQ. As Vice President of Project Development, Alessandra is involved in the earliest stages of projects, from preliminary costing to planning of the construction efforts. $19 Million Mini Biography John Aquino was created on Apr 20, 1948 in Philadelphia, Pa, USA as John Michael Grochowina. googletag.defineSlot('/1003600/728x90ocnews', [728, 90], 'div-gpt-ad-1663612288383-0').addService(googletag.pubads()); .td-smart-list-dropdown-wrap .td-smart-list-button:hover, var td_please_wait="Please wait"; } "; a, color: #38a6c1; In December, 2017, there were several e-mails about Mr. Mendonca. Since then, John Aquino has emerged as a central figure in the fallout from Bondfields collapse. The Globe quoted Steven Aquinos testimony in a letter to Mr. Marafioti, but he did not address it in his response. [16] In October 2018, BCCL's primary lender, Bridging Finance Inc. ("Bridging"), called in its $80,000,000 loan. .td_block_template_5 .td-block-title > *, But the e-mails uncovered by Zurich show he was not deterred. Mr. Aquino was Bondfield's CEO when it won the St. Michael's contract in 2015.Cole Burston/The Globe and Mail. font-family:"Work Sans"; 2. Directory of Profiled Business People: John Aquino Apple, Gabriela - Arabic, Call > Aquino, Jeremiah - Aquino, Kaua > Aquino, Johannes - Aquino, John christopher > Aquino, John 1-25 of 296 Contacts Mr. Aquino had also provided Mr. Georgiou with his own bondfield.com e-mail address. Mr. Georgiou had a heated argument with Mr. Toigo, which one witness described as a raised voice discussion.. For his part, Mr. Georgiou denied, in his examination, having any interest whatsoever in the buildings. #td-mobile-nav .td-register-section a:hover, .tds-button5:hover i, #bbpress-forums li.bbp-header .bbp-reply-content span a:hover, Subcontractors were furious. EllisDons design was considered non-compliant and it was disqualified. Pension documents provided by St. Michaels to Zurich show that Mr. Georgiou received his salary from Nov. 12, 2015 to May 12, 2017 payments totalling $477,000. He didnt pay because he was a friend and a client, he said. This article was published more than 1 year ago. These are often referred to as SLAPP suits (Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation). Steven Aquino replied that, yes, his brother told him he had paid Mr. Marafioti in connection with Bondfield's work at Sunnybrook. As far as your story goes, I wont provide any information on the victims, in order to protect them, Pattenden wrote to OCN. In his examination for discovery, Mr. Aquino refused, on the advice of his lawyers, to answer questions about his direction to record the costs to the GO parking garage. 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. A police investigation, which is being led by a provincial law enforcement initiative known as the Serious Fraud Office, is targeting Sam Marafioti, a Sunnybrook executive who oversaw construction and planning until his recent resignation from the hospital. htmlTag.className += ' ieEdge'; Mr. Georgiou intervened with hospital subordinates to ensure Bondfield squeaked onto the shortlist of preferred bidders, even though the company had initially received a ranking that disqualified it from bidding. The two men also believed, the e-mails show, they still had a key asset safely in place within the hospital. #cancel-comment-reply-link:hover, In an e-mailed statement to The Globe and Mail he said he could not provide a detailed comment while the matter was under investigation. .td-weather-information:before, The Canadian Home Builders Association (CHBA) released its2022 Municipal Benchmarking Study last week, examining how local development processes, approvals, and Ontario Construction News staff writer .td-search-background:before { var td_email_incorrect="Email incorrect! Join to connect Bondfield Construction Company Limited. They should continue to fund construction, and then sue the actual fraudsters (John Aquino & Bondfield). Several sources with knowledge of Mr. Georgious interventions at the RFQ and RFP stages interventions that benefited Bondfield who spoke with The Globe said they were simply never approached by the investigators. htmlTag.className += ' td-md-is-android'; .td_outlined_btn { 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. "@type": "ListItem", In a statement to The Globe this week, a spokesperson for Osler said the firm had no knowledge of the e-mail deletions. Aquino, a former Ontario General Contractors Association chair, has been charged with two counts of assault with a weapon; break and enter; and four counts of uttering threats. Ukraine Interior Minister Killed In Helicopter Crash, Greta v. Polizei, Worlds Oldest Person Dies, Didi reopens to new users after $1.2-B fine, Jordan, Latvia and Israel shake up diplomatic corps after Shadow Diplomats investigation ICIJ. font-weight:normal; St. Michael's Hospital in 2015, the year that Bondfield Construction Co. Ltd. won a contract to manage a major redevelopment there.Kevin Van Paassen/The Globe and Mail. input[type=submit]:hover, .sf-menu > li:hover > a:after, body .td_block_list_menu li.current-menu-item > a, if( -1 !== navigator.userAgent.indexOf('IEMobile') ){ Bondfield collapsed in 2019, fired Mr. Aquino as CEO and sought court protection from creditors. Derrick Toigo, then a senior vice-president with Infrastructure Ontario, refused to approve Bondfields bid. .block-title > a, In the e-mail, Mr. Aquino directed a Bondfield staffer to charge the work on Mr. Georgious home to Pick Go. This is a reference to a parking garage Bondfield was building at the time at a Pickering, Ont., GO Transit station, Zurich alleges. They were so close, in fact, that in many e-mails Mr. Georgiou referred to Mr. Mendonca by a nickname: Smooth.. But Mr. Aquinos strategy was not limited to litigation. } .td_block_template_14 .td-related-title .td-cur-simple-item, Police allege that was assault with a weapon. Court records showed that while he was a senior official at the procurement agency, he also controlled two construction companies that had issued invoices, totalling $65,000, to York for maintenance work. .td_wrapper_video_playlist .td_video_controls_playlist_wrapper, A 2018 satellite image of Mr. Georgious yard, examined by The Globe and taken at a time of year when everyone elses lawn is drab and grey, shows a patch of bright green turf next to his pool and gazebo. }, .page-nav:first-child > div, This letter will help both my and your lawsuit with the newspaper.. //td_block class - each ajax block uses a object of this class for requests CFO at Bondfield Construction Company Limited Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. 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. Learn how your comment data is processed. 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. } Mr. Georgiou also was supplied with his own bondfield.com e-mail address. .td_wp_recentcomments a:hover, .tds-progress-bar2 .tdm-progress-bar:after, 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. This backchannel was in contravention of numerous procurement rules, and if anyone discovered the e-mails, it would mean trouble for both men. .td_block_template_15 .td-block-title:before, (1979) as Deputy Sheriff Mr. Aquino was fired from Bondfield in 2018 by his younger brother Steven Aquino, who supplanted him as president. 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. "; Bondfields $299-million bid had secured the contract, but now it had to pull off the job without Mr. Georgiou in a position of influence. .td-footer-wrapper .widget_product_search input[type="submit"]:hover, Even after Mr. Georgiou was fired by St. Michaels in 2015, he continued to use his influence to help Bondfield. .td_wrapper_video_playlist .td_video_currently_playing:after { Architect Ontario Construction News staff writer #bbpress-forums .bbp-topic-started-in a:hover, .wpb_text_column blockquote p, 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. 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. Fax: 905-458-6020. 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. After Mr. Georgiou was dismissed from St. Michaels, and he resumed using his bondfield.com e-mail address, the two men exchanged many e-mails about strategy, including how to proceed with their lawsuits. Last week, The Globe published a story about the unsealed records evidence that was compiled by Zurich Insurance Company Ltd., the multinational company that issued more than $1-billion in construction surety bonds to Bondfield. this.td_user_action = ''; // load more or infinite loader (used by the animation) The newspaper reported police allege that when Steven Aquino informed John Aquino he was being terminated from his position, John Aquino threw hot coffee on his brother. They also sometimes obtain a courts permission to execute civil search warrants on residences and businesses what is known as an Anton Piller order. Mr. Aquino was Bondfield's CEO when it won the St. Michael's contract in 2015. In an e-mail to The Globe, Mr. Ciccolini says he was merely offering his support because of his long-standing relationship with John Aquinos father, Ralph. As for how that information filtered down to Mr. Aquino, Mr. Georgiou told Zurichs lawyers he had no explanation. The Bondfield group is the general contractor on a number of large scale infrastructure and other construction projects in Ontario. This included landscaping his yard, demolishing his driveway, carpentry inside his residence and working on his gazebo. When Mr. Georgiou was examined under oath, his lawyers declined to allow him to answer any questions about the work Bondfield performed with one exception. john-aquino-owner-bondfield-construction-company-ltd-and-co-founder-co-chair-of-the-icare-gala-with-wife-cinzia Johnson Ta 2015-07-08. The letter it sent him cited his involvement in the false-invoice scheme, as well as his failure to disclose his work for Mr. Aquinos companies. He said bousta was reference to a commission that Mr. Georgiou would earn as an adviser on the casino deal. 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. delete tdLocalCache.data[resource_id]; Zurich also alleges that other records show the two men were co-owners of another business Potentia Solar Inc. Potentia, which landed a $1.2-billion contract in 2011 to outfit Toronto public schools with solar panels, was owned by people close to both men. Despite his unceremonious exit, Mr. Georgiou acted as a sort of liaison between Mr. Aquino and Mr. Mendonca. He has brought few Letters, he mentions the entire Capture of the fourth regiment who upon the expedition of Col. Maitland pushing into the Country their retreat was cut off and obliged to lay down their Arms officers and Soldiers not one escaping.1 He gives also accounts of the Arrival of several . Mr. Toigos opposition had serious implications. 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. 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. Earlier, he worked as a journalist and sub-editor, including a stint on the Bulawayo Chronicle in 1979-80, during the transition from Rhodesia to Zimbabwe. Toigo voted against Bondfield design, Mr. Aquino wrote. .vc_tta-container .vc_tta-color-grey.vc_tta-tabs-position-top.vc_tta-style-classic .vc_tta-tabs-container { Required fields are marked *. None of the allegations have been proved in court. .td-footer-wrapper .td-post-category, He sued The Globe as well, but never proceeded past filing a statement of claim. } -moz-box-shadow: 0 4px 26px #38a6c1; .tdm_block_pricing .tdm-pricing-feature i, var tds_smart_sidebar="enabled"; Zurich alleges the unsealed evidence shows: Mr. Georgiou funnelled confidential information to Bondfield throughout the bidding process. .td-post-category:hover, .td-block-title-wrap .td-wrapper-pulldown-filter .td-pulldown-filter-link:hover, googletag.enableServices(); .tds-social3 .tdm-social-item { .td_block_template_10 .td-related-title .td-cur-simple-item, Osler operates a Risk Management and Crisis Response team, and Bondfield retained one of its team members, Kevin OBrien. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Justice Dietrich ruled that $22-million must be paid back to the monitor for Bondfield. .tds-title2 .tdm-title-line:after, The unsealed documents were filed by Zurich Insurance Co. Ltd., which issued surety bonds on the project. 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. But a month before St. Michaels even announced Mr. Georgious appointment publicly in January, 2013, celebrations had begun in Bondfields head office. I dont know if it was feedback I was getting from Vas or from my consultants.. var td_pass_pattern_incorrect="Invalid Pass Pattern! Whatever pressure Mr. Aquino was contemplating, nothing came of it. #bbpress-forums button:hover, var tds_header_style=""; .td-trending-now-wrapper:hover .td-trending-now-title, Alessandra Aquino, B. ENG, MBA, Vice President of Project Development the two men believed... Despite his unceremonious exit, Mr. Georgiou told Zurichs lawyers he had no explanation bousta was reference a... 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