Toronto, ON, April 10, 2008 – Toronto home builder Alexander Boros was fined $93,750 on March 18, 2008 and sentenced to two years probation by Provincial Court.  Mr. Boros was found guilty on three counts of illegal building activity: failing to register as a builder with Tarion Warranty Corporation, failing to register as a new home vendor with Tarion, and failing to enrol a home that he was constructing with the Corporation. 

“This wasn’t the first time Mr. Boros has tried to sidestep the provisions of the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act, which require builders to offer specific warranty protection to the buyers of new homes in Ontario.  He has been convicted on similar charges in the past,” said Dave Roberts, Director of Enforcement at Tarion.  “This time, the Courts not only found him guilty of the charges laid, they also imposed the maximum fine and gave him a two-year probationary sentence. This is an appropriate punishment, in our estimation.”

Tarion protects the rights of new home buyers by regulating the home building industry and guaranteeing the warranty protection that new home builders must provide under the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act.  Every builder or vendor of a new home sold in Ontario must register with Tarion in order to build homes, and must enrol every new home with Tarion before construction begins.

“Tarion’s enforcement team seeks out new home builders who break the law and helps bring them to justice.  When individuals like Mr. Boros flagrantly disregard the province’s mandatory warranty, they chip away at the trust and confidence that legitimate builders have established with homeowners,” said David Roberts, Director of Enforcement at Tarion. 

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. The efforts of Tarion’s Enforcement Department led to 320 convictions during 2007 and $616,000 in fines being levied by the courts.

If you suspect that illegal building is taking place in your community, you can anonymously report this information by calling Tarion, toll-free at 1-800-786-6497, or by sending an email to enforcement@tarion.com. In addition, new home buyers are encouraged to visit the “Find a Builder” section of Tarion’s website to confirm that their builder is registered to build in the province of Ontario and to obtain additional information from other customers 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 builders 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:Corinne Smirle, Sr. Manager, Corporate Communications at (416) 229-3863 or csmirle@tarion.com