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.
- Download our app to get local alerts to your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
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.
--With files from CTV's Graham Richardson.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.