Family 'thrilled' scammers' tool worth $1B across Ontario will be wiped out
An Ontario family says they’re "thrilled" the provincial government has moved to wipe out a tool used so often by scammers that it has been used to claim some $1 billion worth of value from properties across the province.
Melissa Irons says her elderly father-in-law, Karl Hoffman, would have loved to live long enough to see the government eliminate Notices of Security Interest (NOSIs) after they were used 11 times against him and his Bowmanville, Ont., home.
"I was thrilled. I was astonished," Irons said in an interview. "It's unfortunate that Karl is not here today to hear this great news, but I'm sure it would be a great relief."
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Irons was reacting to the announcement by the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery Todd McCarthy that he would table legislation in the spring to ban NOSIs.
"We have decided to move forward with complete abolition of notices of security interest against the land registry system both going forward and retroactively," McCarthy said in an interview with CTV News.
He said about $1 billion in NOSI debt is largely the subject of criminal activity.
"That total is quite a large number, and that means that criminal activity is being perpetuated. So we need to address that with a retroactive effect to the legislation," he said.
A NOSI is a tool, like a lien, that a company uses to secure collateral on a fixture, such as an air conditioner or an HVAC system, that they own but sits inside someone else's property. The homeowner can't sell the property until it's paid out.
But there are major problems with how it's put into practice, including no serious effort to verify that a NOSI's value represents how much the equipment is worth, said Dennis Crawford, a lawyer who has fought NOSIs.
"There is a loophole, which it's too easy to register one," Crawford said. "They're putting in equipment in a house that might be worth $1,500, but registering liens for $15,000. Orders of magnitude more than what the equipment is worth."
Hoffman had 11 NOSIs registered against his property as people he called in court fraudsters returned again and again.
His family says they were taking advantage of Hoffman, who had a brain aneurysm that made him lose his short-term memory.
"Karl believed everyone was good. He believed people were helpful and were trying to help him," Irons said.
But Hoffman was "marked" and his property was the target, his lawyer Greg Weedon said in court documents.
"He was the victim of a fraudulent scheme targeted at the elderly. By July 2021, he had 11 notice of security interests registered against his property, all of which were registered under false or fraudulent pretenses," Hoffman's court filing says.
"It's really sad to know that there are people out there doing this to so many people. It's disheartening," Irons said.
The government's declaration, if they follow through, would mean that those NOSIs would be wiped away without any legal action required.
The announcement came after the Ontario NDP proposed legislation that would ban certain NOSIs -- though it wouldn't succeed without the support of the governing PC majority.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.