Employees, vendor speak out about abrupt Highbridge Construction closure
The abrupt closure of an Ottawa construction company is having a ripple effect on everyone from homeowners and employees to contractors who say they're owed thousands of dollars.
Electrician Chris Neron is unexpectedly out of a job after Highbridge Construction shut its doors and announced would be filing for bankruptcy.
"Really sad, actually, because it's pathetic, and I'm not the only one," Neron said of himself and others now looking for work.
Homes have been left in shambles and complaints about the company are piling up.
Neron alleges he witnessed high-pressure tactics from project managers.
"They would show on site and they would ask for more money to keep their project going but the client would respond 'I already gave you 20 grand and you're telling me you have no money to buy material?' So it's been going on for awhile," Neron said.
Recently, Neron said employees were told, because of a change in companies, they'd be paid with cheques instead of direct deposit. He says another e-mail came in hours later with a strange request.
"We received another one saying can anybody hold onto their cheques until Monday because we're waiting on a big company to give us big money to cover those cheques and we would be rewarded 2,000 Air Miles," he said. "I was one of them that contacted them directly [saying] I will wait until Monday. I was one of the lucky guys that deposited it today. It was declined, it all bounced."
CTV News has made multiple attempts to contact the company and has not heard back from anyone.
Cory Desormeaux owns Junk that Funk and said he's out five figures.
"A big contracting company like that not paying their tradespeople, not paying the electricians, not paying the plumbers, the garbage guys, it's awful," he said. "There's a ripple effect; there's financial losses, there's wasted time. We're still driving around today wasting our time picking up our bins on sites, dealing with dumping fees, dealing with angry homeowners so it's just not right."
The Home Construction Regulatory Authority says it's cracking down. Consumer advocate Barbara Captijn says oversight bodies have had years to act and haven't done enough to protect people.
"HCRA should've protected the employees you're talking about and the consumers that I'm talking about because they should have or must have known there were red flags about the financial ability of this builder to meet his obligations," she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
AstraZeneca says it will withdraw COVID-19 vaccine globally as demand dips
AstraZeneca said on Tuesday it had initiated the worldwide withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine due to a 'surplus of available updated vaccines' since the pandemic.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
Toronto police seek suspect vehicle after security guard shot outside Drake's mansion
Toronto police are seeking help from the public as they continue to investigate a shooting that seriously injured a security guard outside rapper Drake's mansion.
'Ozempic babies': Reports of surprise pregnancies raise new questions about weight loss drugs
Numerous women have shared stories of 'Ozempic babies' on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Seafood, eat food: Calgary Stampede releases Midway menu
The Calgary Stampede has released its menu of sweet, salty and spicy treats available on the Midway for the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they've changed their name
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
These snakes not only fake their own deaths, they use gory special effects to do it
Awards season may be over for human actors this year, but there’s no rest for some of nature’s most audacious thespians.