The principals of a besmirched Toronto homebuilder have tried, and failed, to pull a fast one on the Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA).
On Wednesday, the HCRA revealed in a press release that it has refused to grant a building licence to Dynasty Home Builders Inc. due to its clear ties with Albion Building Consultant Inc.
“In 2023, Dynasty applied to the HCRA for a licence with Zamila Hossain named as the applicant and the company’s sole owner,” Wednesday’s release said. “The applicant had no financial history and, as part of the application, listed Zamal Hossain and Farida Haque as Dynasty’s financial backers.”
Damningly, Hossain and Haque were also the principals of Albion, and as such, the HCRA has determined that “Dynasty was a ploy for Albion to stay in business using another name.”
For some context: Toronto-based Albion had its licence revoked in February 2023 as a result of what the HCRA describes as a "history of non-compliance with provincial rules and laws.” This included failure to enrol 11 new homes with the Tarion warranty program and failure to pay a $206,250 fine due to the Ontario Court of Justice as a result.
“Even prior to these convictions, Albion and its officers and directors had a history of non-compliance for building homes without registering as a builder and for failing to enrol new homes in the Greater Toronto Area, including convictions in 2016 and 2019,” the HCRA said in a release last year.
Albion was directed by the HCRA to complete homes that were already under construction — “to protect the interests of existing home buyers” — and the company's building licence was revoked thereafter.
Revocation is the most severe consequence for a licensee, but it would seem that the seriousness of these offenses has been lost on Hossain and Haque.
“The HCRA looks at all interested persons associated with an application for this exact reason,” Chief Executive Officer and Registrar for the HCRA, Wendy Moir, said on Wednesday. “Understanding who is involved in an applicant’s business is a strong indicator of how that business may be run. By refusing Dynasty’s application, the HCRA is limiting the resurgence of bad actors who have demonstrated they cannot conduct their business responsibly and ethically."
