Ontario regulator lays 124 new charges against Toronto home builder

FILE - A construction worker works on a house in a new housing development in Oakville, Ont., north of Dundas Street, Friday, April 29. 2011. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Richard Buchan

An Ontario regulator has laid 124 new charges against a Toronto home builder accused of constructing and selling homes without a licence.

On Thursday, the Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA) announced the charges against Albion Building Consultant Inc. and its five business associates in connection with the construction of 40 new homes.

Earlier this year, the HCRA, a non-profit organization that regulates home builders and vendors in Ontario, revoked Albion’s licence because it said the company "would not operate lawfully or with honesty and integrity.”

However, Albion allegedly continued to build homes illegally.

It prompted the HCRA to search Albion’s offices in February, resulting in the seizure of hundreds of thousands of business records.

The regulator added that it subsequently issued a freeze order to prohibit Albion from withdrawing purchasers’ funds. The order also required the company to hold the funds in trust.

The HCRA said the new charges against Albion were based on the evidence obtained during the search, revealing alleged extensive violations.

The charges include illegal building and selling, failure to enrol homes, failure to comply with conditions, and being a party to an offence.

The regulator said it is the largest investigation in its history.

“Albion has repeatedly disregarded the law governing new home construction. The HCRA will continue to increase penalties on this former licensee until it stops putting the public at risk,” HCRA CEO and registrar Wendy Moir said in a statement.

“We cannot allow companies like Albion to continue to violate the law, undermine the industry’s integrity, and compromise public safety.”

Moir added: “We advise all consumers to be on the lookout and extremely cautious of Albion falsely presenting itself as a licensed builder, which it is not. They are not qualified or authorized to build or sell homes.”