Toronto, ON, August 8, 2006 – With the help of an anonymous caller, Belleville-area builder Stephen Edward Graham was found guilty of failing to register as a vendor as well as failing to enrol a new home on July 4, 2006. The total fine for the charges was $10,000.

Under the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act every builder or vendor of a new home sold in the Province of Ontario must be registered with Tarion, which protects the rights of new home buyers by regulating the home building industry, and administering and guaranteeing the province’s new home warranty program.  Home builders are also required to enrol every new home with Tarion prior to its construction. 

“An anonymous call to Tarion’s hotline indicated Mr. Graham was constructing a new home and was offering it for sale. This initiated our investigation, including a records review showing that Mr. Graham was neither registered to construct or sell new homes,” said David Roberts, Director of Enforcement at Tarion. “We are pleased that public awareness of illegal building is increasing and we appreciate any information that can help stop it.”

The anonymous hotline operated by Tarion’s Enforcement Department allows the public to inform Tarion about any suspicious building activity. Often the calls lead to an investigation and charges being laid, which helps decrease illegal building and ensures home buyers know about the warranty coverage that comes with every new home built and sold in Ontario. Consumers can notify Tarion about suspicious building activity by calling Tarion toll-free at 1-800-786-6497 or by emailing enforcement@tarion.com.

Illegal building in the residential construction industry is a serious problem in Ontario and the provincial courts are responding with heavy fines and even jail time. Tarion employs a team of former police officers who work with building and municipal officials to uncover illegal building in Ontario. In 2005, Tarion’s Enforcement Department laid 243 charges against illegal builders and as a result, a total of $816,516 in related fines were levied by the courts.

Consumers are encouraged to visit the “Find a Builder” section of Tarion’s website to confirm that a builder is registered and to obtain additional information about the builder’s after-sales service performance.

About Tarion

Tarion Warranty Corporation is a private corporation established in 1976 to serve as the Regulator of the new home building industry in Ontario. In this role, Tarion licenses all new home and condominium builders pursuant to provincial legislation. This statute requires new home vendors to provide purchasers with warranty coverage that is guaranteed by Tarion.  The Corporation also establishes minimum time standards for after-sales service, and adjudicates issues between homeowners and builders.  Over 1.45 million homes in Ontario have been protected under warranty by Tarion.

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For more information, please contact: Janice Wong, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, Corporate Affairs at 416-229-3863 or janice.wong@tarion.com