Index: src/CodeGen/CodeGenerator.cc
===================================================================
--- src/CodeGen/CodeGenerator.cc	(revision e01bfbcfdafdd2ca974dbd0cd8a6c22f62609103)
+++ src/CodeGen/CodeGenerator.cc	(revision 10a7775d07dcc9d19f88786e6be9a198720e9cac)
@@ -33,4 +33,6 @@
 #include "OperatorTable.h"
 #include "GenType.h"
+
+#include "InitTweak/InitTweak.h"
 
 using namespace std;
@@ -255,9 +257,30 @@
 				std::list< Expression* >::iterator arg = applicationExpr->get_args().begin();
 				switch ( opInfo.type ) {
+				  case OT_CTOR:
+				  case OT_DTOR:
+					{
+						// if the first argument's type is const then GCC complains. In this
+						// case, output an explicit ctor/dtor call and exit, rather than following
+						// the normal path
+						assert( arg != applicationExpr->get_args().end() );
+						assert( (*arg)->get_results().size() >= 1 );
+						Type * baseType = InitTweak::getPointerBase( (*arg)->get_results().front() );
+						if ( baseType->get_isConst() ) {
+							// cast away the qualifiers, to eliminate warnings
+							Type * newType = baseType->clone();
+							newType->get_qualifiers() = Type::Qualifiers();
+							*arg = new CastExpr( *arg, new PointerType( Type::Qualifiers(), newType ) );
+							varExpr->accept( *this );
+							output << "(";
+							genCommaList( applicationExpr->get_args().begin(), applicationExpr->get_args().end() );
+							output << ")";
+							return;
+						}
+					}
+					// intentional fallthrough - instrinsic ctor/dtor for non-const objects should
+					// be handled the same way as assignment
 				  case OT_PREFIXASSIGN:
 				  case OT_POSTFIXASSIGN:
 				  case OT_INFIXASSIGN:
-				  case OT_CTOR:
-				  case OT_DTOR:
 					{
 						assert( arg != applicationExpr->get_args().end() );
@@ -269,4 +292,8 @@
 							UntypedExpr *newExpr = new UntypedExpr( new NameExpr( "*?" ) );
 							newExpr->get_args().push_back( *arg );
+							assert( (*arg)->get_results().size() == 1 );
+							Type * type = InitTweak::getPointerBase( (*arg)->get_results().front() );
+							assert( type );
+							newExpr->get_results().push_back( type );
 							*arg = newExpr;
 						} // if
Index: src/GenPoly/Box.cc
===================================================================
--- src/GenPoly/Box.cc	(revision e01bfbcfdafdd2ca974dbd0cd8a6c22f62609103)
+++ src/GenPoly/Box.cc	(revision 10a7775d07dcc9d19f88786e6be9a198720e9cac)
@@ -1947,4 +1947,5 @@
 				UntypedExpr *derefExpr = new UntypedExpr( new NameExpr( "*?" ) );
 				derefExpr->get_args().push_back( derefdVar );
+				// xxx - should set results on derefExpr
 				derefdVar = derefExpr;
 			}
Index: src/InitTweak/InitTweak.cc
===================================================================
--- src/InitTweak/InitTweak.cc	(revision e01bfbcfdafdd2ca974dbd0cd8a6c22f62609103)
+++ src/InitTweak/InitTweak.cc	(revision 10a7775d07dcc9d19f88786e6be9a198720e9cac)
@@ -137,3 +137,14 @@
     }
   }
+
+  Type * getPointerBase( Type * type ) {
+    if ( PointerType * ptrType = dynamic_cast< PointerType * >( type ) ) {
+      return ptrType->get_base();
+    } else if ( ArrayType * arrayType = dynamic_cast< ArrayType * >( type ) ) {
+      return arrayType->get_base();
+    } else {
+      return NULL;
+    }
+  }
+
 }
Index: src/InitTweak/InitTweak.h
===================================================================
--- src/InitTweak/InitTweak.h	(revision e01bfbcfdafdd2ca974dbd0cd8a6c22f62609103)
+++ src/InitTweak/InitTweak.h	(revision 10a7775d07dcc9d19f88786e6be9a198720e9cac)
@@ -48,4 +48,7 @@
   /// returns the argument to a call expression in position N indexed from 0
   Expression * getCallArg( Expression * callExpr, unsigned int pos );
+
+  /// returns the base type of a PointerType or ArrayType
+  Type * getPointerBase( Type * );
 } // namespace
 
Index: src/ResolvExpr/Resolver.cc
===================================================================
--- src/ResolvExpr/Resolver.cc	(revision e01bfbcfdafdd2ca974dbd0cd8a6c22f62609103)
+++ src/ResolvExpr/Resolver.cc	(revision 10a7775d07dcc9d19f88786e6be9a198720e9cac)
@@ -531,7 +531,6 @@
 			assert( dynamic_cast< VariableExpr * >( arr ) );
 			assert( arr && arr->get_results().size() == 1 );
-			ArrayType * arrType = dynamic_cast< ArrayType * >( arr->get_results().front() );
-			assert( arrType );
-			type = arrType->get_base();
+			type = InitTweak::getPointerBase( arr->get_results().front() );
+			assert( type );
 		} else {
 			// otherwise, constructing a plain object, which means the object's address is being taken.
@@ -557,6 +556,33 @@
 		impCtorDtorStmt->get_callStmt()->accept( *this );
 
-		// and reset type qualifiers after resolving
-		type->get_qualifiers() = qualifiers;
+		// reset type qualifiers, but first need to figure out where everything is again
+		// because the expressions are often changed by the resolver.
+		callExpr = InitTweak::getCtorDtorCall( impCtorDtorStmt );
+		assert( callExpr );
+		constructee = InitTweak::getCallArg( callExpr, 0 );
+		if ( ApplicationExpr * plusExpr = dynamic_cast< ApplicationExpr * >( constructee ) ) {
+			// constructee is <array>+<index>
+			// get Variable <array>, then get the base type of the VariableExpr - this is the type that needs to be fixed
+			Expression * arr = InitTweak::getCallArg( plusExpr, 0 );
+			assert( dynamic_cast< VariableExpr * >( arr ) );
+			assert( arr && arr->get_results().size() == 1 );
+			type = InitTweak::getPointerBase( arr->get_results().front() );
+			assert( type );
+			type->get_qualifiers() = qualifiers;
+		} else {
+			// otherwise constructing a plain object
+			// replace qualifiers on AddressExpr and on inner VariableExpr
+			assert( constructee->get_results().size() == 1 );
+			AddressExpr * addrExpr = dynamic_cast< AddressExpr * > ( constructee );
+			assert( addrExpr );
+			type = InitTweak::getPointerBase( addrExpr->get_results().front() );
+			assert( type );
+			type->get_qualifiers() = qualifiers;
+
+			VariableExpr * varExpr = dynamic_cast< VariableExpr * >( addrExpr->get_arg() );
+			assert( varExpr && varExpr->get_results().size() == 1 );
+			type = varExpr->get_results().front();
+			type->get_qualifiers() = qualifiers;
+		}
 	}
 } // namespace ResolvExpr