Homeowners left with unfinished projects after Ottawa construction company suddenly closes
Homeowners left with unfinished projects after Ottawa construction company suddenly closes
Homeowners and employees have been left reeling after an Orléans construction company suddenly closed its doors, walking away from half-built houses and projects worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Now, those who relied on the company, Highbridge Construction, are left wondering if they'll ever see that money again.
It's hard to imagine things getting worse for Bonny Bunda, but they just did in a very big way. (Disclosure: Bunda is related to a Bell Media Ottawa employee.)
"I knew immediately that we were in trouble," Bunda said.
Bunda is still recovering from a devastating fire that gutted her home and claimed the lives of several pets. She hired Highbridge Construction to rebuild her home, but it has ceased operations and isn't returning her calls.
"We lost everything and then we lost a little bit more. I don’t know what steps we can take going forward," she said.
After months of frustration, Bunda's rebuild remains a hole and she's now out hundreds of thousands of dollars. She says Highbridge told her the money was insured, but she found out Monday it is not.
"When we contacted Tarion this morning, they said that Highbridge had actually never registered our rebuild contract and, unfortunately, we personally—I personally—have lost $227,000."
A hole remains on Bonny Bunda's property. She hired Highbridge Construction to do repairs after a fire, but the work was never completed and the company has ceased operations leaving her out $227,000 she says. (CTV News Ottawa)
Employees have also been left in the lurch. Wages are outstanding and there has been very little information from the company, just a locked door in Orléans.
Michelle Drapkin worked at Highbridge. She says the company had hundreds of current projects underway and continued accepting new ones until the day before its sudden closure.
"I have no idea how I am going to provide for my family in the next couple of weeks. They owe me money."
All projects are now stopped.
"The customers, I feel horrible for the customers," Drapkin said. "There are thousand of people out there that they owe money to. They’ve started builds and these people, like, they have no homes yet."
CTV News Ottawa is aware of a Glebe homeowner who is out tens of thousands of dollars after their home was left unfinished.
In an email obtained by Bell Media, Highbridge Construction co-owner Leam Hamilton writes, "It is with immense regret and overwhelming disappointment that we must inform you Highbridge Construction has been forced to close its door and cease business operations."
Just one day earlier, company emails showed employees were offered Air Miles if they waited until Monday to cash their paycheques.
"They've wrecked a lot of people's lives right now and I think they should be held accountable," Drapkin said.
Those like Bunda are now left empty-handed and forced to pick up the pieces.
"We have a big hole in the ground and it's been a long, cold winter, so we'll have to regroup and find a way to go forward," she said.
Employees say they had issues for months where contractors complained about not being paid and clients complained about delays in projects. Some of them never seemed to get going in the first place.
CTV News reached out to Highbridge Construction but did not get a response.
Cape Breton University has more than doubled in size by enrolling thousands of international students, and critics say the campus and community weren't ready. Watch the documentary 'Cash Cow' on CTV W5, Saturday at 7 p.m.
In a choice forced upon them by the Canadian government, four mothers have made the agonizing decision to forfeit an opportunity to repatriate their children from open air prisons in northeast Syria.
Statistics Canada has released its new report about the Canadians level of confidence in Canada’s institutions, finding that recent immigrants are more likely to express confidence in the media and parliament.
A new Canadian study of 4.8 million people says a daily alcoholic drink isn't likely to send anyone to an early grave, nor will it offer any of the health benefits touted by previous studies, even if it is organic red wine.
Lawyers representing Toronto MP Han Dong served Global News with a libel notice on Friday over reports that alleged he spoke to a Chinese diplomat in February 2021 about delaying the release of the two Michaels, and that he was a 'witting affiliate' of Chinese interference networks – allegations that Dong denies.
A recent report from Royal LePage is predicting a drop in prices for Canadian cabins and cottages this year as demand softens from economic uncertainty and low housing stock.
Interim RCMP commissioner Michael Duheme says he would support the Criminal Code changes recommended in the Mass Casualty Commission report to implement stricter gun laws.
After the RCMP commissioner admitted he didn't read the Mass Casualty Commission’s final recommendations, family members of those killed in the April 2020 tragedy say they have doubts the force will change.
A doctor named in a lawsuit after a Nova Scotia woman died in hospital following a long wait to see a physician has denied allegations from the family that he failed in his duties.
In one day, Ontario midwife Manavi Handa saw three patients who will have to pay thousands of dollars to be able to schedule a C-section beginning on Sunday.
Akwesasne Mohawk Police say they are working with Immigration Canada and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to confirm the identities of the eight migrants whose bodies were pulled from the St. Lawrence River this week.
Montreal's seasonal parking restrictions go into effect Saturday. As of April 1, parking will be limited during certain hours to make way for street cleaning and maintenance operations. Drivers should pay close attention to street signs to determine when and where it's safe to park.
A northern Ontario man has been banned from licenced hunting and fined $5,000 after pleading guilty to having more than six times the legal limit of grouse and obstructing conservation officers.
Ontario's guns and gangs team says with the help of police in Sudbury and Durham, it has disrupted a large drug trafficking operation, seizing 2.7 kilograms of cocaine and arresting six.
London police responded to Dundas Street, just west of William Street around 6:30 p.m. Friday evening for a reported shooting. According to police, one person is in custody.
A U.S. citizen charged with threatening death or bodily harm to Justin Trudeau made a virtual court appearance from a London jail Friday. Jeremy Joseph, 40 — who is living in Sarnia, Ont. — was arrested on Feb. 4, 2023 after Sarnia police were notified of emails containing threats.
The province’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is investigating after a man was seriously injured while attempting to flee from OPP on Highway 401 Thursday afternoon.
In an attempt to take pressure off hospital emergency rooms, the Saskatchewan government will offer a bump in pay for family doctors who work later hours.
Kevin Garinger says it feels like the passage of time is inexplicable. The five years since a deadly bus crash changed his city, his hockey team and his life sometimes feel like a lifetime. Other times it feels like yesterday.
B.C.'s securities regulator has permanently banned a Vancouver lawyer from the financial markets after he was convicted in a U.S. court for his role in a US$34-million fraud.
The sale has started of former Saskatchewan government liquor store buildings. The province got out of liquor retailing earlier this month and is disposing of all assets.
In an attempt to take pressure off hospital emergency rooms, the Saskatchewan government will offer a bump in pay for family doctors who work later hours.
A hole remains on Bonny Bunda's property. She hired Highbridge Construction to do repairs after a fire, but the work was never completed and the company has ceased operations leaving her out $227,000 she says. (CTV News Ottawa)
