Ontario’s Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA) has laid a set of charges against seven companies operating under Vaughan-based Stateview Homes. The regulator said that the charges are in connection to the illegal sale of 453 homes and that senior leaders of the company — Dino Taurasi, Carlo Taurasi, and Daniel Ciccone — “have also been charged for failing to take reasonable care to prevent these violations.”
According to a press release from Tuesday, the charges follow an HCRA investigation that uncovered “hundreds of violations” of the New Home Construction Licensing Act, 2017 and the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act, and include selling “dozens of homes” while unlicensed. The release also says Stateview failed to obtain the necessary Tarion approvals for “hundreds of homes,” even after becoming licensed.
“To legally sell new homes in Ontario, builders must be licensed by the HCRA, obtain Tarion authorization, and enrol each home in the warranty program,” said HCRA Chief Executive Officer and Registrar Wendy Moir in a press release. “Compliance with all regulatory requirements is not optional. Builders who do not meet these obligations are operating illegally, and the HCRA will take strong enforcement action.”
The HCRA suspended Stateview’s licences back in July 2023 in an effort to protect further risk to consumers. After that, an investigation was conducted and revealed the troubling extent of Stateview’s operations, and that they could result in significant financial harm.
Meanwhile, previous reporting from STOREYS has shown that five receivership applications regarding eight Stateview projects have been filed by four creditors, and that receiverships were granted in May 2023. In June, the Ontario courts granted permissions for the sales process for various assets, saying at that time that the developer owed around $350 million to various creditors.
“Ontario homebuyers deserve confidence that their builder is acting in good faith and complying with the law,” said Moir. “When builders fail to meet their legal obligations, the HCRA will take every necessary step to hold them accountable, protect consumers, and maintain confidence in the new home marketplace.”
