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On my October 14th blog, titled, “Toronto Star – good article on development charges” Dan McIntyre has left a very enlightening comment concerning the City of Toronto.  He has broken down the political contributions to local politicians into two categories:  Landlords and, Developers/Other business.

It is interesting to see who is on the list with the most donations from these two groups and, who is on the small contribution side.  You might find some of the names surprising.

I only wish we had this for Halton.  Would be an interesting breakdown and interesting to see how the vote goes this November 12th and subsequent dates for the development charges between Halton Council, Mattamy Homes and some other interests such as BILD..

I appreciate the time he took to build this list and for sharing it with us.  Lots of money out there and how it affects the decision-making is up to speculation.

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City politicians who took campaign contributions from landlords, developers and other businesses in 2006.

THOSE WHO TAKE LITTLE MONEY

Ward Candidate Landlords/Dev Other Businesses
Mayor David Miller 0.0% 0.0%
1 Suzan Hall 7.8 20.6
4 Gloria Lindsay Luby 12.3 10.5
8 Anthony Perruzza 10.3 5.8
9 Maria Augimeri 13.5 11.4
14 Gord Perks 0.6 0.0
15 Howard Moscoe 6.5 13.9
18 Adam Giambrone 7.8 1.6
19 Joe Pantalone 0.0 0.0
20 Adam Vaughan 0.0 0.0
21 Joe Mihevc 0.0 0.0
22 Michael Walker 0.0 0.0
23 John Filion 6.5 7.0
25 Cliff Jenkins 0.0 0.0
27 Kyle Rae 0.0 0.0
28 Pam McConnell 0.0 0.0
30 Paula Fletcher 0.9 0.0
31 Janet Davis 0.0 0.5
32 Sandra Bussin 0.0 11.1
33 Shelly Carroll 11.1 12.0
35 Adrian Heaps 0.6 2.8
38 Glenn De Baeremaeker 10.4 8.3
40 Norm Kelly 6.2 14.7
41 Chin Lee 1.6 9.8
42 Raymond Cho 0.0 3.2
44 Ron Moeser 0.0 1.4

THOSE WHO TAKE LOTS OF MONEY

2 Rob Ford 32.5 24.2
3 Doug Holiday 24.0 28.3
5 Peter Milczyn 41.7 26.4
6 Mark Grimes 22.6 18.8
7 Giorgio Mammoliti 41.4 26.0
10 Michael Feldman 29.6 16.1
11 Frances Nunziata 39.1 32.9
12 Frank Di Giorgio 39.5 27.5
13 Bill Saundercook 17.5 31.4
16 Karen Stintz 47.0 2.0
17 Cesar Palacio 37.4 2.1
24 David Shiner 25.5 21.3
26 John Parker 25.4 17.4
29 Case Ootes 28.1 30.2
34 Denzil Minnan-Wong 32.5 30.0
36 Brian Ashton 30.4 15.6
37 Michael Thompson 20.0 28.9
39 Mike Del Grande 37.5 10.7
43 Paul Ainslie 27.3 24.0

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In my last blog I mentioned that Mattamy seemed to have some trouble putting on roofs with some substance.  Not the kind of roof that would at least until your newborn got into high school, let alone college.

Well, there seems to be another problem and in all fairness to Mattamy, a problem that might be attributed to any builder who doesn’t understand the dynamics of water flow.  Since Mattamy was charged in the Ottawa area with illegal landfill into the Jock River, we can understand their lack of understanding in hydrology.

One person observed, on Mattamy homes at least, that when you have multiple roof levels on one house, you sometimes have downspouts that direct water to the lower roof.  He noticed that this concentrated water seemed to curl the shingles in that area and cause premature failure of the roofing.  Another homeowner noted that some of the downspouts caused rainwater to flow horizontally across the shingles, causing failure.

The observation of this fault was backed up by at least two house inspectors,  Halton-Peel Home Inspection and Halton Home Inspection Service who offered a solution. 

Ensure that the downspout is extended across the roof to the next gutter.  Yes, some feel it detracts from the house appearance – a problem that the Mattamy architect created but, you can have a functional house or a pretty house with a leaking roof. 

Your choice.

The advice given is:  ensure the builder puts on the extension and note same on your PDI.  If they don’t and there is roof damage, you might have a better chance at compensation.

If you want to learn more go to this link as there is some good advice.

Elementary, my dear, Gilgan, elementary.

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When one talks about warranties on homes, there is the usual time spans for everything to be noted and, in Ontario at least, one hopes that the Tarion warranty will help out when a builder fails to come through.  Wishful thinking but sometimes they do come through.

Now, when you re-shingle your roof you get these lifetime, 25, 20, etc year warranties.  When you buy a new house, have you ever seen a written warranty go with it?  You might expect to get maybe what some consider a minimum 15 years before having to shell out for a new roof.

Seems with Mattamy, this might not be the standard.

At this link, I read the following by Mattamy: “We are known for our attention to detail in all aspects of building finely-crafted homes and people oriented communities.”

Mmmm, well not in my experience or in the experiences of others I would have to say.

If you go to this link, you will see that some homeowners are looking at replacing their roofs in time frames of 3-8 years of gaining occupancy.

3 years!!!!

Another writes that they have observed that over 90% of the homes facing west and southwest are already curling their shingles.  What did Mattamy say about construction:  “building finely-crafted homes”.  If this award winning company can’t build a roof that lasts more than 3 years, I wonder just how bad those other companies are that don’t win the awards?

Some house inspectors and a realtor do give some good advice in this forum though.  If you go to the link, you will see that they themselves aren’t too pleased with the Mattamy roofs and give some good advice on what to look for.  One, Andy Shaw of  Halton Inspections has even gone to Tarion and got a ruling for his clients, a ruling which everyone could have access to as long as they have properly documented the problem and processed the paperwork as they should have.

One advantage to having a knowledgeable house inspector on your side.  So, you can believe the Mattamy ads or face the reality as some people have.  Those who feel their house was quality built – did you go up and look at your roof?  Maybe you got the flowers and good paint job but, if the roof wasn’t built right, you may have to replace it in 3 years.  Another thing in addition to the development charges Mattamy didn’t mention. 

Your roof might be alright but I’d suggest looking at it and comparing it to the information given in the forum to see if in fact it was built properly. 

You can spend 10 minutes now going out (take a glass of wine in case you don’t like what you see) and checking it or, getting a professional to come and replace it at your cost in anywhere from 3 to 8 years based on what I have read.

Good luck……..

In case you don’t go to the link, here is the information…..

There is nothing you can do about Mattamy roofs, the materials they use, or their Roofers lack of common roofing knowledge.

Mattamy roofers wrap themselves tightly in the Ontario Building Code’s lame minimum standards. They don’t even follow basic guidelines and fundamentals which tells me that they lack basic understanding with regards to shingle installation.

In fact, the OBC rules with regards to roofs are so poor and vague that virtually all other roofing companies in the country follow other guidelines set out by the Canadian Roofing Contractors Assossiation.

Simple issues like exposed nail-heads are still common on 90% of Mattamy homes. Even when they are sealed, the job is done poorly. This reflects a bad attitude.

The OBC requires a “Starter Strip” at the eaves of roofs, yet often these strips are short, incomplete, or facing the wrong direction. At a home a week ago, the Starter Strips were short and incomplete at six locations. One area that was short, was clearly visible from the street and was in fact, the first problem I saw when I arrived at the house.

At gable edges, Mattamy Roofers usually don’t install a Starter Strip at the edges. This small detail is required by the CRCA because it is recognised as a basic detail that should be on all roof edges. It improves the look, the strength, and water resistance to every roof edge. This detail would take 20 minutes of time and $20. in materials to do properly. I have no idea why Mattamy or any other builder would consider this acceptable.

The CRCA requires that the ridge shingles that overlap each other, overlap facing away from the prevailing winds. This prevents water from blowing under the shingles and soaking the structure at the peak of the house. This costs nothing to do properly yet Mattamy roofers seem oblivious to this basic fundamental of shingle installation. In southern Ontario, the prevailing winds come from the west. Any Roofer that does not know this should go home and look for another job.

The Tarion Construction Performance Guidelines and the CRCA require that shingles overhang all roof edges a minimum of 12mm / 1/2″ yet Mattamy’s management has forgotten this major detail and has built hundreds of homes with this serious defect. In this case, the problem is not the Roofers fault, it’s the fascia installers fault for extending the outward bend at the top of the fascia too far. This “mistake” should have been caught by Mattamy supervisors early on but has been missed. Now, like I said, there are hundreds of homes out there with this major defect.

In the last year I have been watching this “shingle overhang issue” get worse and worse only to find out that Mattamy has been sending people over to my clients homes who convince owners that these issues are not legitimate concerns. When I found this out, I contacted Tarion and arranged a meeting with Tarion and upper level Mattamy management. At this meeting they agreed that this issue was important and that they would improve this problem. This however, does not fix the fact that many dozens of my clients were mislead and cheated from getting these legitimate repairs done. If, in the last year, I brought this “shingle overhang issue” to your attention during your inspection, only to be told by Mattamy that they would not fix this it, then please phone me. I will contact an individual at Mattamy who has assured me that these repairs would be done. In addition, I did contact the technical people at Tarion regarding this issue and they did agree the shingles must overhang the gable / fascia edge the minimum required 12mm / 1/2″ but even they suggested 3/4″ overhang was better.

Do your shingles properly overhang the edges of your gables ??

For those that don’t know, a Gable is the upside-down V shaped roof. There are Gables on most roofs. Stand directly under the gable and look up. You should see the shingles overhanging the edge of the gable by at least 12mm or 1/2″. Most roofers prefer a 3/4″ overhang and consider that standard, so 1/2″ should be the minimum amount to overhang this edge.

Andy Shaw – 905 876 4761
www.haltoninspections.com

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As you know, I have been pushing for the right of a new homeowner to have a building inspector represent them during critical times of construction and inspection.  I’ve shown how municipal building inspectors have been less than honest in their inspections and that builders will stoop to nothing to ensure a closure.

It is hard to fight this when local politicians are receiving donations, funding, whatever from these developers and their impartiality is somewhat suspect when a complaint comes forward about a developer.

In Saturday’s Toronto Star there was an article on Page GT 1 titled: “When did councillor cut ties?” regarding Vaughan politician Peter Meffe.  It is alleged he was still involved with a company, Gridd Electrical Services, after his election and was voting on issues involving this firm.

To add the icing to the cake, Richard Lorello has brought forward evidence that Gridd was one of two businesses “making payments on Meffe’s leased 2009 Mercedes Benz ML 350″.  Further information shows another company with Meffe’s home address.

Seems some people just don’t do the donation and political funding but try and hide monetary compensation through other means.

Now you see why I was concerned that my complaint was being investigated by former Town of Oakville mayor Ann Mulvale while she was involved in the investigation concerning Mattamy Homes doing illegal wiring in my house in order to complete the sale.  Illegal wiring that put my children at risk and was not approved by the head of the building department but by a local inspector.

We should be looking deeper before the next municipal elections to see who is receiving donations/funding/etc from local developers. 

Who do we want to elect?  Those receiving funding from those they are allowing to make money off the local taxpayer or, someone with some ethics?

Or, does the size of the donation determine if children will be put at risk for the better good?

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Here we have the building industry worried about the recession and costs and, what are they doing?  According to an article in the October 28th “Oakville Beaver”, they are taking the Town of Oakville to the OMB to argue that the development charges are too high.

Yes, those very organizations that made a fortune just awhile back when the development charges were too low are now fighting to keep them low.  I didn’t see them telling the Town of Oakville that the development charges were too low and that they were making a fortune on the taxpayer’s back, back in the day.  But now, Mattamy Realty Limited, the Building Industry and Land Development (BILD) Association, Silgold Developments Inc. and Donmar Contraplan Inc. are going to spend a lot of their money and the money of the poor taxpayer to try and keep the development charges down so that a profit can be made on the backs of the taxpayer.

According to the article, Donmar’s lawyer, Blair Taylor,  thinks, “the decision does not fit the current economic climate”.  Where was he when the developers made a fortune during the building frenzy a few years ago and the development charges were too low.  Did he complain then?

Peter Gilgan did not get to build his $45 million Edgemere with reasonable development charges being charged on his developments.  Sorry, did I say $45 milliion.  I understand he only got $ 35 million – hard to understand how a developer could so over price his house for sale.  Hmmmm, I wonder if he also over prices his products?

Anyways, it seems that the developers, who got a free ride before, are trying everything to ensure profits stay high and taxpayers pay the freight.  We will see on November 12th, when Halton council meets to discuss this issue. 

As an aside, I see that Mississauga council has voted to have Mayor Hazel McCallion investigated for not declaring a conflict of interest.  Interesting to note, the Toronto Star states that “mega-builder Harold Shipp” attended and supported McCallion, even to the point saying that this stress might kill her and he supports her lying in state in the council chamber. 

Now, that is true support from the development industry and remember, former Town of Oakville mayor, Ann Mulvale has McCallion as a mentor.  But then Mulvale is on record as having received donations from Mattamy, while Mattamy had a complaint before council.  At least the City of Mississauga is standing up to the development industry, unlike what the Town of Oakville did.

Better late than never.

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I have just had a comment from an “Arvin” in Alberta who recently bought a Mattamy home and is quite pleased with it.  First of all, this is not unusual in that I am sure Mattamy doesn’t screw up every house they build but, my blog focuses on those they do screw up and their attitude, etc is such that the new homeowner ends up being screwed.

Arvin wonders why if there are so many out there who are dissatisfied, why are there no lawsuits and why Mattamy gets so many awards?

In my case, I can’t tell you much due to the gag order but, I tried to go the route of having the law changed so that homeowners would be protected by being allowed to hire a house inspector and have it put into the purchase agreement.

By the way Arvin, get Mattamy’s permission and I’ll tell you the real story.  See if they will let you learn the truth if you feel they are so honest and, if they say no, wonder why.

From reading my blog you will note how this was brushed aside by the Town of Oakville council, led by former mayor Ann Mulvale (who was arranging donations from Mattamy) and by the Pr0vince of Ontario who said this would cost the consumer (much like the eco audit they have implemented).

Why others have not, I can only speculate.  One reason you don’t read about it, unless Mattamy wants it in the open, is that the problem is mediated prior to court and a settlement made.  Like the human rights complaint where Mattamy agreed to allow those with special needs to be told upfront the costs of adjustments to the house.  Of course, this showed how benevolent Mattamy is, after the complaint started.  Also, how many papers will print the complaints, considering the advertising revenue they get from Mattamy.  (imagine what a 2 page spread in the Toronto Star costs)

One blog, which outlined the Ottawa problem  of Mattamy selling without permits, called “Mattamy Fairwinds Kanata Phase 5 Delay” is no longer functioning.  Did the bloggers reach a settlement or, were they threatened with a lawsuit and decided they couldn’t pay the legal fees?  Who knows?

Others try to work it out with Mattamy and get the runaround and by the time it comes to getting a lawyer, they either don’t have the money to fight a billionaire or, they decide to move on (sometimes literally).

Some rely on the advertised reputation of Mattamy or, they read in blogs how good Mattamy was to some people and try to work it out.  When this doesn’t work, can they afford a lawsuit?  I doubt it when these same people can’t even afford the relatively cheap cost of a house inspector.

And, remember, you may still have to pay your lawyer even if you win.

And the awards?  Well, Mattamy has fallen from J D Power’s grace this year into 2nd place and around last place, depending on the area.  And, if you think Mattamy is so great due to the awards, why would anyone buy a house from another builder who is obviously second class according to the J D. Power’s standard.  Like Obama getting the Nobel peace award, we all know how flimsy the award system is.

So, I really do hope Arvin that you will be happy in your Mattamy home but remember, just because the lawyers haven’t been put into a feeding frenzy, it doesn’t mean that people aren’t getting shafted daily by Mattamy. 

We are a very large crowd out there that wasn’t given the voice we should have.  Who gives the biggest donations and reaps the benefits?

Nooooooobody but Mattamy.

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I have noticed an interesting trend over the last 3 Saturdays.  Normally, Mattamy Homes has a two page advertising spread in the Saturday Toronto Star but on 2 occasions, they have been reduced to a one page spread.

Are we hurting Mattamy after spending all the consumer money on busing Voluntolds to the Halton Council meetings or, are you trying to save money to send more to the November 12th meeting?  If you’re cutting back on advertising I hope you’re using this money towards building a better home for the consumer, unlike some of those you have built in the past.

And, speaking of the consumer.  Stephen Dupuis, president of BILD has an interesting column in the Toronto Star.  Titled “Canadians willing to sacrifice to own a home“, this article shows just how bad we want our own home.

Just how bad you ask?  According to the quoted Genworth MOrtgage Insurance First-Time Homebuyer’s Monitor, 68% of renters said “they would be willing to delay major purchases and more than half would give up vacations.”  Only 25% would give up their car but, we are a personal transport kind of people.

47% would buy further away from work in order to buy a more expensive house, while 41% would get a second job to pay the expenses.  39% would put off having children – I can only hope that the sex part continued or these people will be really desperate to buy.

These figures show just how far people will go to realize the dream of owning a house and lets face it, the builders take advantage of this desire to get you to sign on the dotted line.  And for those living in Halton and going through the development charges and for others, you already know how the builder will try and screw you and, your impatience to buy only clouds your thought processes.  After lining up all night, I think some would buy an outhouse just to get into the market.  And builders feed on this type of drive.  How many have been told to hurry up and make a decision as there was a lineup waiting to take your place.

That’s why you surround yourself with impartial experts to guide you along the process.  Yes, I know some of you can do this all on your own and never get burned.  I’ve met a lot of those, including myself.  Can you see the scar tissue?

Based on these figures, it only shows that you need a house inspector to view the house in the not-so-rosy glasses that we all tend to wear upon gaining our new house.  Face it, you’re human and like all humans, we have weaknesses.  Builders are like wolves amongst sheep when it comes to dealing with us and, having that sheep dog to herd us the right way is a good investment.  Forgo that extra latte and put the money towards a good house inspector.

He’ll ensure you don’t lose more weight than necessary through the house buying stress days.

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For those of you who are going house shopping this weekend and it is the first time, you might want to read what follows.  If  you’ve already bought before and have learned a lesson, this will only reinforce what you might have learned.  Mattamy or any other builder is out there to make money and, pay big money to hype the fact they are the best but, it seems not all come through in the real world.

Posted by Yvette Barnes on January 9, 2009 10:46 PM

As you can see, trying to get your own house inspector in during a PDI can be problematic, depending on the builder.  If you feel that the builder will be obstructive, I’d suggest you bring the house inspector immediately after possession and let them have a go at the house.  It is still under warranty and close enough to the PDI that you should be able to get things done.  Maybe sign off the PDI making it conditional upon inspection by your own house inspector.  Hey, its your money and investment.

Now, the next one is more Mattamy specific and closer to what I have come to expect from Mattamy.

Posted by Craig Chiasson on January 10, 2009 02:58 PM 

You’ll notice the re-shingling of many roofs in their Mattamy development.  Who ever heard of roofs failing in that length of time and if it is not caught within the year, you’ll find yourself replacing the roof prematurely either for yourself or the guy buying your house if you sell.

This is a long blog but I felt that you should at least be pre-warned on buying a house from Mattamy or any other builder.  I could add many more complaints but, you get the idea.  

Good luck and protect yourself with a house inspector.  No one else will look after you.

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A simple expression that means so much when you desire a marriage to survive the good, bad and ugly of life.

When buying a home, there should be a lot of thought that goes into just what you want and then, after some research, ensure you have the right people to assist you make one of the largest investments in your life and, one of the most stressful, as pleasant as possible. 

But remember, everyone wants a piece of the pie and it is up to you to decide on just how much each gets for the value you receive.  Some you really need – real estate agents, lawyers and, some are optional – house inspectors, etc.

But, each should ensure your final decision ends up allowing  you to maximize the pleasure of your new home.

Mattamy Homes has seen fit in the past to utilize your money to fight city hall in the recent battle  to make the taxpayer pay for development costs.  At least according to Halton Council. 

This money, although their profit, is something that comes from your pocket and was not invested in your house.  From reading this blog you have seen how some Mattamy home owners have been totally shafted in the acquisition of what should be their dream home.  Not like the weekend Toronto Star double spreads, but more like a “Holmes on Homes” special.

If you want to grow old together and minimize home buying stress, do the right thing and get the right people up front to protect you and shoulder some of the problem solving.  Lawyers, real estate agents and house inspectors can help ensure your dream home is in fact a bed of tranquility, not a hostile environment working at splitting up your marriage.  Mattamy makes money from putting together a house with the largest profit possible, not putting together a house to help your marriage.

Elected officials look after their own agenda, sometimes at the risk of your own children – such as what happened when former Town of Oakville mayor Ann Mulvale’s town inspector allowed illegal wiring into my house and she did nothing to address this matter, except pass the buck to the province.  Even her own Director of Building stated he wouldn’t have allowed it but this meant nothing to Mulvale.  Donations to her project by Mattamy were at the top of the to-do list.

So, make sure you set the right foundation for buying a house or, you might find cracks in your marriage’s foundation developing from the pressures of that not so pleasant Mattamy Homes  horror house you find yourself in.

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Good old Vaughan, “The City Above Toronto“, may be physically above Toronto but morally, well we will see.  In today’s Toronto Star the headline screamed, “Another conflict hits Vaughan“.  It is alleged that Councillor Peter Meffe has voted on many issues that concerned his own electrical firm, Gridd Electrical Services.  Of course, he is stating he hasn’t been involved with them for awhile.  But, it appears that that old demon, DEVELOPMENT has reared its ugly head again.  We had Project 80 back in the 80’s to investigate municipal issues concerning illegal activity between the development industry and politicians.  I think we should tell our provincial politicians we want another investigation.

In my case it was former Oakville Mayor Ann Mulvale trying to get donations from Mattamy Homes while overlooking a complaint I had against Mattamy Homes.  A complaint that could have resulted in the death of my children but was just pushed aside.  We see Halton trying to push through appropriate development charges but Mattamy is fighting it tooth and nail and using Voluntolds to flood the council chambers – Voluntolds paid for by those buying homes from Mattamy.  Money that should be put into the house, not political posturing. 

As well, we see Mattamy has on staff ex- Halton Chair Peter Pomeroy and they have other ex-municipal government people advising them.  Were they hired for their skill or political connections?  Lets face it, connections are worth money.  Just ask any worthwhile business man what connections are worth to them.  Does Lobbying sound familiar?

These ex officials/employees aren’t using their municipal skills to help out the taxpayer, you can bet.

Development is a multi-billion dollar industry and it seems everyone wants a piece of the pie.  And too many politicians have succumed to either outright bribes or donations or, ……….

On November 12th, Halton Council will vote on the Development Charges, which they have already dropped.  Will the Voluntolds, donations, bribes (?) or whatever win out the day or will the taxpayer.

It will be interesting to see how the vote goes and if it is the taxpayer who loses, I think we should look into this very closely.  I mean, there has already been evidence of wrongdoing in Halton over the years. 

Oh, and I am not accusing all of any wrongdoings.  Those who are working hard for the taxpayer know who you are.  Those that have dipped into the forbidden fruit – you and some others know who you are.  The voting only brings it out into the open.

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