Highbridge Construction owes $106,000 in rent on storefront
There is a new sign of financial issues with an Ottawa construction company that suddenly closed, leaving customers with unfinished projects unable to recoup their losses.
A notice of distress posted on the door of Highbridge Construction's storefront on St. Joseph Boulevard says the company owes the landlord more than $106,000 in rent.
- Download our app to get local alerts to your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
The notice is dated Feb. 7 and gives the tenant five days to reply, or else goods within the unit will be seized and sold to cover the costs
The lease has not been terminated and while the locks have been changed, the tenant is still able to use the premises with the landlord's permission, the notice says, though it warns attempts to remove goods from the site is unlawful.
Highbridge Construction shuttered last week, telling employees in an email obtained by CTV News that it was "forced to close its door and cease business operations." Another email to employees had asked them to hold off on cashing paycheques until Monday, offering Air Miles to those who waited.
Customers who spoke to CTV News describe being out tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars. In at least one customer's case, the money was uninsured and she has no way to recover it.
Attempts to reach the owners of the company have been unsuccessful.
MORE FAMILIES AFFECTED BY CLOSURE COME FORWARD
More families are sharing stories with CTV News about work that has gone unfinished.
Amanda Lauzon, a mother of four, hired Highbridge Construction to complete repairs on her home after a fire in 2019. The job has never been finished she said.
"We are in year four now and the project still isn’t complete, we still have odds and ends," she told CTV News. "We have had no contact since November."
Lauzon said in addition to incomplete work, several things needed to be redone.
"You couldn’t walk around the dishwasher because it was up against the kitchen counter," she explained. "A toilet seat that doesnt go up all the way. The seat doesn't open all the way because of the handle."
Her shower was redone three times and tiles are already starting to wear and three counter tops had to be replaced because workers drilled the wrong holes.
"They just assumed i had ordered a standard 3 hole fixture," Lauzon said. "And when this came in, the guy was like, 'You are going to have two holes in your counter.' I said that is unacceptable. 'Well, do you like the taps we put in? You could keep them.' If i wanted them, I would have ordered them.'"
Lauzon estimates her family is out at least $200,000. She intends to hire another contractor to get the work done.
"We will move on and forget this chapter."
Werner Meier's roof was damaged by the derecho in May. He hired Highbridge Construction and gave them a deposit.
"White pines came through the garage roof like torpedos and took out nine of 13 trusses," he said. "The entire garage roof needs to be replaced."
However, he says all the company did was take measurements and he hasn't heard back from them since January.
"Their contact requirements were very stringent. They argued they needed 50 per cent of the cost of the repairs up front, which is what we gave them."
Meier said that deposit was $55,000.
--With files from CTV's Graham Richardson and Leah Larocque.
A notice of distress taped to the door of Highbridge Construction's storefront on St. Joseph Boulevard in Ottawa. (Graham Richardson/CTV News Ottawa)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.