Professional Engineers Ontario to investigate work done on Nipigon River bridge

The governing body for engineers in Ontario has launched its own investigation into the Nipigon River bridge failure, Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) announced on Friday.

The organization is looking into whether any engineering practices caused the bridge's deck to lift back in January, and will also examine whether all work was done by the appropriate people and companies.

• Component design, improperly tightened bolts blamed for Nipigon River bridge failure

• Ontario's Nipigon River bridge fails, severing Trans-Canada Highway

"It allows us to ... determine whether or not engineers or engineering companies involved in the construction or design of the bridge may have performed acts of professional misconduct or incompetence," Registrar Gerard McDonald told CBC News on Friday.

The bridge failed in January 2016, severing the Trans-Canada highway about 100 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, Ont. It took more than a month to re-open the bridge to two lanes of traffic. 

The PEO investigations could include measures such as subpoenas and searches of engineering businesses, McDonald added.

In the absence of a complaint being filed with the group, the registrar can elect to launch an investigation, he said, which is done when there are reasonable and probable grounds to to believe that something wasn't done properly.

It's a separate process than the investigation done by the province — the results of which were released in September, and found that improperly tightened bolts and the design of some components were to blame for the bridge's failure.

Investigation could take more than 1 year

A thorough investigation takes time, McDonald said, adding that the role of such a probe is to protect the public interest.

"It will take some time, like any investigation," he said. "It'll take time to gather the facts, it'll take time to talk to all the people involved, they have to have a chance to respond to some of the allegations."

The process could take more than a year, he said, adding that if evidence of professional misconduct or incompetence is found, charges would be brought up before the organization's discipline committee.  If found guilty before that quasi-judicial body, individuals or companies could face fines or suspensions.

Information will only be made public if and when the matter is referred to the discipline committee for a hearing, McDonald said.