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“They pushed us a lot, to work hard and finish it and we worked 24/7, but once they got what they wanted, the problems began,” said the man, adding he was last paid for work done in May.

“I’m a small family business and they put me in a situation where I’m not going to survive.”

The contractor said he has worked on other high-profile public projects in Calgary and payment was never an issue.

“It shouldn’t happen with such an iconic project … they’ve got such a beautiful place and now they’re not paying the people who made it happen,” he said.

Music centre spokeswoman Mary Kapusta confirmed the liens and the dispute with some contractors, but said that was typical for such a project.

“At the end of a construction project of this size, it’s pretty common for expenses to be contested,” she said.

“We’re in mediation right now to sort it out … we’re really working with CANA to get it resolved.”

Photo by Gavin Young / Calgary Herald

Four subcontractors have filed liens totalling nearly $3.3 million, but Kapusta said those figures are largely included in the amount sought by CANA.

She said the dispute has nothing to do with the quality of work delivered.

“We’re really proud of the project and proud of the work and of our construction partners,” said Kapusta.

She also said the expected cost to build the 160,000-square-foot expanse of exhibits, studio and performance space in downtown Calgary’s East Village remains at the $191 million revealed last October.

She said there were “a couple of factors” for the rise in costs, including higher expenses in integrating the King Eddy Hotel into the complex.