Investors Group Field builder slaps $1.9M lien on stadium

The company responsible for building Investors Group Field has placed a builder's lien on the Winnipeg football stadium for more than $1.9 million, CBC News has learned.

Stuart Olson Dominion, which was the general contractor for the stadium project, claims it is owed that amount by BBB Stadium Inc., the consortium that oversaw construction.

The stadium contract with Stuart Olson Dominion was for a guaranteed maximum price of just over $171 million, but the publicly-acknowledged costs to build it are at nearly $204 million.

Now the contractor has taken a legal step by slapping the builder's lien against the stadium for non-payment.

The lien will not stop football or other events from taking place at Investors Group Field.

However, the latest development represents a widening gap between the two parties, which have been locked in a dispute over the final construction bill for months.

• Winnipeg stadium work briefly halted due to unpaid bills

A representative Stuart Olson Dominion confirmed the company placed the lien on the stadium but declined further comment. Representatives from BBB Stadium Inc. did not return calls from CBC News.

BBB Stadium Inc. represents the Winnipeg Football Club — which owns the Blue Bombers CFL team — as well as the City of Winnipeg, the Manitoba government and the University of Manitoba. It was created to oversee construction of the facility on the university campus.

Construction of the stadium was delayed by more than a year. It opened in the spring of 2013.