TORONTO – The Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA) has laid 124 charges against Albion Building Consultant Inc. and its business associates for illegal building and selling.
The HCRA is also seeking a restraining order to prevent Albion from further violating the law and endangering consumers, stated a Sept. 12 release.
Albion has multiple prior convictions for illegal building and failing to enrol new homes with Tarion, the administrator of the province’s new home warranty program. In 2022, it was ordered to pay over $200,000 in fines for illegal building. In 2024, the HCRA revoked its licence to build and sell homes in Ontario on the grounds it would not operate lawfully or with honesty and integrity.
However, allegations surfaced that Albion continued to build homes despite having its licence revoked.
In February 2024, the HCRA executed a search warrant at Albion’s offices, seizing hundreds of thousands of business records. The HCRA simultaneously issued a freeze order, prohibiting Albion from withdrawing purchasers’ funds and requiring Albion to hold those funds in trust.
“Albion has repeatedly disregarded the law governing new home construction,” stated HCRA CEO and registrar Wendy Moir in a statement.
“We cannot allow companies like Albion to continue to violate the law, undermine the industry’s integrity, and compromise public safety.”
The new charges against Albion and five business associates relate to the construction of 40 new homes. The charges include illegal building and selling, failure to enrol homes, failure to comply with conditions, and being a party to an offence. It is the largest investigation in the HCRA’s history.
“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,” stated Moir. “They are not qualified or authorized to build or sell homes.”
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