(Toronto, ON, September 7, 2005) – Tarion Warranty Corporation (“Tarion”) today shone the spotlight on some of the stars of Ontario’s residential building industry with its announcement of the finalists for the prestigious 2005 Tarion Awards of Excellence, presented annually to Ontario builders who excel in the area of customer service.

“Ontario’s new home industry is making great strides in catering to the needs of their customers,” said Greg Gee, Tarion President and CEO. “Today’s consumers have high expectations and Tarion’s awards recognize those builders who foster strong customer relationships, particularly through high-calibre service programs. The 14 finalists announced today are vying for best-of-the-best status in this important area.”

Only about seven per cent of Ontario’s 5,300 registered builders qualified for this year’s Tarion Awards of Excellence.  The awards are based on stringent criteria which include a rigorous selection process, followed by random homeowner surveys and builder interviews that are evaluated and scored by the independent research firm, Decima Research Inc.  Winners are selected in four categories: Small Volume, Medium Volume, Large Volume and High-Rise Builder of the Year.

For the second year in a row, winners will be announced at a signature gala event on Tuesday, September 20, 2005 at the Liberty Grand in Toronto.  Entrepreneur and best-selling author David Chilton will be the guest speaker.

The following finalists will compete for Tarion Awards of Excellence in their respective categories:
 
Small Volume Builder:

Crosby Homes (Aylmer) Ltd., St. Thomas, Ontario               
George Milla Construction Ltd., Guelph, Ontario
Hans Krepstakies Construction Ltd., Kitchener, Ontario     
Lapico Custom Homes, La Salle, Ontario

Medium Volume Builder:

Dunnink Homes Ltd., Guelph, Ontario
Fusion Homes, Guelph, Ontario
Hayhoe Homes, St. Thomas, Ontario
Rinaldi Homes Inc., St. Catharines, Ontario

Large Volume Builder:

The Daniels Corporation, Toronto, Ontario
Mountainview Homes, Thorold, Ontario
Tribute Communities, Pickering, Ontario

High-Rise Builder:

The Daniels Corporation, Toronto, Ontario
Shane Baghai, Toronto, Ontario
Tridel, Downsview, Ontario

Tarion Warranty Corporation is a private corporation established in 1976 to administer the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act, which outlines the warranty protection that all builders must provide to new home and condominium buyers in Ontario.  Tarion licenses home builders and ensures that they abide by this legislation, and that consumers are protected when builders fail to fulfill their warranty obligations.  Since its inception, over 1.3 million homes have been enrolled by the Corporation.

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For more information, please contact:

Janice Wong
Senior Manager, Corporate Communications
Tarion Warranty Corporation
Phone: 416-229-3863
Email: janice.wong@tarion.com