Latest news with #WendyMoir
Cision Canada
08-07-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
HCRA ISSUES OVER $170,000 IN PENALTIES TO UNLICENSED BUILDERS AND SELLERS
TORONTO, July 8, 2025 /CNW/ - The Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA) has issued more than $170,000 in administrative penalties to two unlicensed builders and sellers in Guelph and Tillsonburg. The penalties stem from investigations into illegal building and selling, and are part of the HCRA's broader strategy to combat illegal activity and protect homebuyers. Administrative penalties are financial penalties imposed for violations of the New Home Construction Licensing Act, 2017 and the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act. In these two cases, violations included selling a new home without a licence, failing to enrol a new home in the province's warranty plan, and acting as a builder while unlicensed. "Administrative penalties are a key enforcement tool to hold illegal actors accountable and uphold the rules in place to protect consumers," says Wendy Moir, the HCRA's Chief Executive Officer and Registrar. "Whether it's selling a new home without a licence or advertising as a builder while unlicensed, illegal building and selling misleads consumers and can leave them at higher risk for defects in their new homes and with limited warranty protection if something goes wrong." The largest penalty – over $165,000 – was issued to Jacob Hiebert for selling a new home in Tillsonburg without being licensed and without enrolling the home in the warranty plan. Without these protections, homebuyers are left vulnerable. Enforcement in cases like this is essential to ensure that those who operate illegally are held accountable and do not profit at the expense of consumers. The HCRA also issued a penalty of $5,978 to Destination Estates Ltd. in Guelph for acting as a builder while unlicensed. The company actively promoted new home construction services online, misleading consumers into believing it was working with licensed professionals. Such conduct not only puts homebuyers at risk — it undermines trust in the sector and the protections that Ontario's licensing system is designed to uphold. These enforcement actions reflect the HCRA's commitment to accountability, consumer protection, and the integrity of Ontario's new homebuilding sector. "These penalties send a clear message: those who operate outside the law will face serious consequences," says Moir. "The HCRA will not tolerate violations that put consumers at risk or undermine fair competition in the marketplace. We urge all homebuyers to verify that their builder or seller is licensed using the Ontario Builder Directory." About the HCRA The Home Construction Regulatory Authority is responsible for regulating and licensing the people and companies who build and sell new homes in Ontario. The HCRA enforces high professional standards for competence and conduct in the homebuilding industry, giving new home buyers confidence in one of the biggest purchases of their lives. The HCRA also maintains consistency across the sector, curtailing unethical and illegal builders. Ontario Builder Directory – the authoritative source of background information about each of Ontario's 7,000 new home builders and sellers.
Hamilton Spectator
23-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Ontario developer charged for ‘illegal sale' of hundreds of pre-construction homes
Ontario's homebuilding regulator has charged a developer for 'the illegal sale' of 453 pre-construction homes across the Greater Toronto Area. The Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA) announced Tuesday that it has laid charges against seven companies operating under StateView Homes and the firm's three senior executives. Before a builder can sell a new home in Ontario, it must obtain a licence from the HCRA and receive approval from Tarion in what's known as a Qualification for Enrolment (QFE). It is a provincial offence to sell a home without both authorizations. 'Compliance with all regulatory requirements is not optional. Builders who do not meet these obligations are operating illegally, and the HCRA will take strong enforcement action,' said Wendy Moir, the HCRA's Chief Executive Officer and Registrar. An October 2023 Star investigation found StateView collected tens of millions of dollars in deposits from homebuyers for hundreds of homes that it did not have authorization to sell. In at least one case, the developer solicited deposits for unbuilt houses on land StateView did not yet own, the Star found. StateView Homes did not immediately respond to questions about the HCRA charges. The company previously told the Star that it worked diligently to make sure that it had the required approvals for any development. Under a controversial new rule, some homebuyers may end up getting less deposit coverage if things go awry with their builders. Under a controversial new rule, some homebuyers may end up getting less deposit coverage if things go awry with their builders. StateView, led by brothers Dino and Carlo Taurasi, underwent a rapid expansion around 2020 before unspooling into collapse. Eight StateView-affiliated companies have been put under receivership, and most of the pre-construction developments they marketed between 2020 and 2023 have never been built. The Taurasi brothers, as well as former CFO Daniel Ciccone, are also charged with failing to take reasonable care to prevent the violations, the regulatory authority said. A lawyer who represents Ciccone did not immediately respond to request for comment. The HCRA began investigating StateView in 2023 and has since suspended its licences. The regulator said that the scale of StateView's alleged violations and the ensuing financial harms prompted the agency to pursue charges against both the company and its leadership. Hundreds of homebuyers were left without the homes they put deposits on – and without the money they forked over. According to an unaudited report filed in StateView's receivership proceedings, the developer collected $50.6 million in deposits for five free-hold projects between 2020 and 2023. These spurned buyers have turned to Tarion, Ontario's protection agency for new home buyers, to be compensated for their lost deposits. There has been a surge in deposits lost in recent years to illegal sales, prompting Tarion to introduce a controversial change to its compensation formula for deposit coverage. Left unchecked, Tarion warned it might not be able to afford to cover homebuyers' losses. So the agency introduced a new requirement for purchasers of new freehold homes to notify the agency within 45 days after entering into a purchase agreement. If they fail to do so, they may face reduced deposit coverage should anything go wrong with the development. Tarion has said the measure, set to kick in on July 1, will help the agency identify illegal sales earlier in the process. Consumer advocates, however, say instead of punishing homebuyers, regulators should better proactively police the industry to catch rogue developers.
