New Homes Warranty Act is no guarantee…

As a British Columbian outsider I am utterly disgusted reading this article on the plight of the Shuman’s. I have a great deal of difficulty comprehending how a certain percentage of performance value or work disqualifies a claim for sub-standard workmanship or materials.

Okay, so it is none of my business poking my BC nose into how the Ontario homeowner protection system is structured, or what the legislation and justice allows. 

Well maybe it is my business because precedence doesn’t seem to have provincial boundaries. Furthermore, the first place other provinces look when reviewing their own homeowner protection is other parts of Canada, just like Nova Scotia is presently.

Perhaps that is why we have such ineffective homeowner protection models throughout Canada; same old, same old. In a day and age when all other industry globally measures quality in parts per billion, Canada’s building code is still based on builders feebly trying to achieve minimum standards.

Homeowner protection has not improved since the feds and their CMHC dinosaur conveniently divested themselves of responsibility. If CMHC’s changed role is, “…to improve building standards and housing construction, and provide policymakers with the information and analysis they need to sustain a vibrant housing market in Canada“, what the heck are they doing?

Isn’t it rather odd that so many are now running around promoting “green” building codes, retrofits, and other initiatives when basic quality in home building today is still out-of-control?

While it is encouraging to read that the Ontario Ombudsman, Andre Marin, is involved, and so he should be, I have little faith in things improving for homeowner protection anytime soon anywhere in Canada.

I’m not surprised that the article speaks of Tarion’s adversarial role, siding with the builder. In BC we have a legislated conflict-of-interest which allows the builder to choose the warranty provider, so guess who the warranty provider caters to? Moreover, warranty providers in BC have unqualified employees disallowing consumer claims; hmm, how can that be?

Ask yourself, who allowed developers to over-build for the past six years putting us in our present housing and economic situation? (page 14 on link).

My contention is that the home building industry is allowed to run roughshod because it is such a major contributor to the campaigns of politicians and political parties, therefore there is no political will. Why would politicians have any interest in cutting off the hand that feeds them?

A big personal thank you to Dr. and Ms. Shuman, for their ongoing pursuit of justice!  They are not only fighting for themselves, but also for other families who have suffered as a result of a test that the current Tarion president agrees was wrong, and other injustices and gaps rampant throughout the entire Canadian home building industry.