The Globe and Mail recently reported that Tarion Warranty Corporation (“Tarion”), and the Ontario Home Builders’ Association (OHBA) had announced their lists of finalists for honours in the new home building industry. 

Each year, Tarion’s Awards of Excellence gala recognizes Ontario new home builders who have reached the top of the industry in customer service. For this year’s awards, 14 finalists were announced. Greg Gee, President and CEO of Tarion is quoted in the article: “Ontario’s new home industry is making great strides in catering to the needs of their customers.” Mr. Gee also stated that “Today’s consumers have high expectations and Tarion’s awards recognize those builders who foster strong customer relationships, particularly through high-calibre service programs.”

Only about seven per cent of Ontario’s registered builders qualified for this year’s Tarion Awards of Excellence. Tarion’s awards are based on stringent criteria that include random homeowner surveys and builder interviews that are evaluated and scored by the independent research firm, Decima Research Inc.

The three finalists in the Large Volume Builder category included The Daniels Corp., Tribute Communities and Mountainview Homes. Daniels was also listed as a finalist in the High-Rise Builder category, joined by Tridel and Shane Baghi.

[The Tarion Awards of Excellence winners were announced on September 20, 2005 at the Liberty Grand in Toronto. Read about the winners in our recent Press Release.]

The Ontario Home Builders’ Association also unveiled its Awards of Distinction finalists. The OHBA presents 25 awards in building, renovating, marketing, design and sales categories. These awards are judged by a panel of experts from Tarion, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. and the Consumers Council of Canada, and also include surveys filled out by purchasers. Winners will be announced at the OHBA’s annual conference on September 29.