The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday edition that Westbank Corp., a prominent Canadian developer, is facing problems at several projects in Toronto and Seattle with contractors claiming millions of dollars in unpaid bills. A multiple-bylined item led by Shane Dingman says that several lawsuits and liens have been piling up over the past year. More than two dozen construction and trade businesses have been fighting with Westbank over unpaid bills. Westbank said it is not commenting on the details of individual disputes that are subject to continuing negotiation or litigation, other than to say it expects to reach a resolution. Delays caused by constructing through a global pandemic are far from unique to its projects. Residential construction expenses are up 58 per cent over three years. The Globe examined its construction loans based on land registry filings. For example, Westbank took out an $85-million loan from Royal Bank of Canada this past May for a rental project in Vancouver's West End that has an interest rate of the bank's prime rate plus five percentage points -- now a 12.2 per cent rate. Westbank said construction loans are used to finance the majority of development costs in most real estate projects.