Relatives of two workers injured when an apartment building under construction in west London partially collapsed are seeking $2 million in damages from the developer of the project, the City of London and the Ontario Ministry of Labour.

The lawsuit over the Dec. 11, 2020 collapse, at the Nest on Wonderland midrise apartment building on Teeple Terrace at Wonderland Road, was launched to shine a light on a system that fails workers in industries such as construction, who can’t sue their employers even when injured on the job, one of the plaintiff says.

“In this province, we’ve decided that we’re going to throw the workers under the bus to protect the rights of land developers and builders, so that they can make millions while workers like (my son) have to struggle with lifelong injuries and lifelong mental issues,” said Bill Hurl, the father of Jacob Hurl, one of five workers injured when part of the four-storey building collapsed.

“They don’t give a God damn about the people who died in that building or the kids that were hurt in that building.”

Two workers were killed and five hurt in the partial collapse that stunned London and created headlines nationwide.

Michelle Doornbosch, president of Nest on Wonderland, said in a statement emailed to The Free Press in December the company is co-operating with regulators and was “devastated” by the incident.

“We are co-operating fully with the regulatory authorities as they carry out their investigation,” she said.

“This is an extremely sad day for Nest on Wonderland. We are devastated by this incident, and our thoughts remain with the affected workers, their families, friends and co-workers. Our first priority is always the safety of our employees, contractors and the community in which we work and live.”

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