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The massive overhaul of Union Station, the revamp of Nathan Phillips Square, and the redevelopment of the St. Lawrence Market North building have all seen their projected costs rise.

“The community and the city deserve an apology when we overspend. This is wrong,” said Councillor David Shiner, who chairs the government management committee. Councillor Doug Ford suggested it’s up to the city manager to bring staff who can’t meet budget targets in line.

“You don’t elect politicians to sit there and manage if wood stairs or steel stairs go in,” said Councillor Adam Vaughan, in whose ward the Peter Street shelter is located. “It’s the staff’s job. But when we found out the jump in price is money that could have been spent on housing people elsewhere, I was furious.”

The shelter, which has 40 beds and acts as a referral centre, is said to have helped nearly 12,000 people get off the street into shelter or housing. It opened its doors in October 2010, two years behind schedule, although work on an elevator continued into 2012.

Mr. Shiner said the city has now changed how it approaches such construction ventures. Politicians used to approve estimates based on just two- thirds of the design and engineering work; now, officials will know “the full cost of the project as best we can,” before giving it the green light, he said.

Josie Scioli, chief corporate officer, said the intent is “to come in and do granular work and make sure we come in on plan.” She said the renovation of Nathan Phillips Square is still on track to meet its last budget of $51.7-million and is slated for completion by the end of this year. “There may be some issues based on the weather conditions we had this year but that’s about it.”

National Post

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