Have you been shafted by Mattamy or another builder? Welcome to the club.

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This posting is # 593.  My blog first started so that I could inform potential buyers of homes of some of the issues they might have.  I use Mattamy as an example as I can give personal knowledge of the issues I have had.  I also use Mattamy as I can show the facts and counter the bullshit advertising one reads in the newspapers regarding builders.  Interesting how few, if any, negative articles are done about Mattamy Homes, especially in the Toronto Star.  They won’t tell the truth or issues about one of their biggest advertisers but have no issues spending months trying to show the world the mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford smokes crack.  To be honest, I don’t give a rats ass about Rob Ford but I do have issues when builders are allowed to put children’s lives at risk.  Mattamy puts in illegal wiring that bordered on criminal negligence and the Town of Oakville brushes it off.  Just like the Toronto Star, Oakville depends on the largesse of Mattamy and its owner, Peter Gilgan.  Hard to get town hall to implement measures to protect the taxpayer when it relies on mega donations from Gilgan.  I’ve seen movies about this kind of relationship – and I thought it was fiction.

But, Mattamy isn’t the only bad boy out there.  There are more examples, some of which I have printed here in my blog but, it seems that warranty outfits like Tarion and municipal governments fail to really address the problem.  My one recommendation of allowing the potential homebuyer to hire a house inspector to monitor the build of their house has been stomped on by the Town of Oakville and the Ontario government.  Why?  The Town of Oakville stated it can’t (but it is bullshit as they could implement under their responsibilities of ensuring the build is to code) and, Ontario stated it would cost the homebuyer money.  Duh!!!.. So do upgrades and both would be optional.

Interesting sidebar is that Kevin Flynn was a member of the Town of Oakville council when my idea was drummed out-of-town and passed on to the province.  He was shortly thereafter elected to the provincial level and, as an MPP, failed to do anything at that level when I passed it on to him.  He did not push for it to happen, even though he had passed it to the province for action.  He is the same MPP that kept his seat in Oakville when the Liberals cancelled the power plant at a cost of $310million in order to win the election.  They don’t worry about the cost to the taxpayer in order to save their seats but, when asked to pass a regulation to protect homebuyers, they balk as it MIGHT cost the homebuyer money.  And, we elect these people to look after us.

I think some people have the idea I am the only one Peter Gilgan has screwed to the wall.  Sorry to say, I’m not.  Oh, there are those who get the flowers and those who say nothing so they can resale their Mattamy Home and not be liable due to a non-disclosure of issues.  Speculators don’t want anything said as they are in for a quick kill and don’t really care that the family who buys the home might end up with issues.

Well, here are some comments I received.  The truth is out there and some people don’t mind sharing it.  Food for thought and maybe hiring a house inspector to monitor the build might be a good strategic strategy.  Otherwise, welcome to the club.  You will find that politicians and developers work very well together.  Sometimes though, we wonder just who benefits.  Donation anyone?

Politicians and Developers Wor$ together.

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3.I guess I will add to your list of total dissatisfaction with my own tale of woe. We purchased a Mattamy Home in Bracebridge in May of 2010. We have had numerous calls to what they deem to be Customer Service. The basement leaks, we can’t use the expensice shower upgrade in the master bedroom and we again need a window replaced. I would never again entertain a thought of buying a Mattamy Home. A first year trade student could do a better job and a grade student would probably have better communication integratey.

Comment by Jennifer – April 2013 — April 29, 2013 @ 1:51 pm | Edit This  | Reply 

2.7 1/2 years later I have a leak in my roof and Mattamy basically told me to go F$$$ myself. Tarion is part of the problem as well. How do you get better warranty with a car then a house. I had a roofer go up on my roof and was told I had a leak from day one because the guy mattamy sent up cut through one of the shingles. My shingles have been shrinking as well so I have gaps everywhere, so plywood is expose. I thought shingles had a warranty as well, oh thats only if they are crumbling apart. I recommend anyone who buys a house of Mattamy think twice because the obviously do not care about their customers.

Comment by J — May 14, 2013 @ 8:32 am | Edit This  | Reply 

25.We live in Ontario Canada…..our Mattamy home sucks the big one. Both Mattamy homes we had. First one our roof leaked right through to our basement took 4 months of them ripping out flashing and not resolving the issue until I found a contractor who told me what the issue was…no flashing…DUH… Our second home…wow from 3 months in shingles falling off and 5 years  After still falling off…sorry not covered due to the act of god wind storms…BS shitty shingles. Had to have a roofer up there to replace them and since then haven’t come off and our vents were not installed properly allwing moisture to accumulate.  Spent a ton of money to get our spare washroom snaked because they were dropping grout and cement down it and caused damage to pipes…sorry you should of told tarion…we did they gave us the run around oh these are energy efficient toilets they don’t flush as much as others…so ur telling me my PiSS ways a ton and I’m SOL of it..nice.

And now our windows have condensation building up between the panes of glass that’s causing black mold…I’m still waiting to hear what they will say, but I will be out of $$$ on this one too I suspect.

DO NoT BUY…they’re all nice for the first .30 days until they badger you to give them 100% on their customer service survey….do not fill it out until they fix your problems. And even then tarion doesn’t do shit cause their BFFs with the builders…bunch of BS so pissed

Comment by Mars — April 20, 2013 @ 9:55 pm | Edit This  | Reply 

26.I have looked at Mattamy homes in Airdrie and talked with a few owners in the neighbourhood.  Apparently after the home sale is complete any construction defects and enquiries are ignored by the company.

Comment by Anonymous — May 9, 2013 @ 4:55 pm | Edit This  | Reply 

I have found so many little issues in our Mattamy home. On their own, it’s trivial, but added up, the sum is just stupid. From suspected insulation issues around the living room bay window, master bedroom overhang, and garage, to hot air that just won’t reach the farthest room in the house (the master washroom) that results in a freezing master, to odd air flow where the upstairs can’t be cooled in summer. Wicked condensation in winter on ALL windows in the house that can pool and lead to mould if not kept up on. The carpet is just disgusting- the little living room carpet was made from two pieces!!!! The seam is very obvious. The pile is so flat and pulling up at the same time. The mortar in the bricks is like sand in some isolated areas. Caulking is already deteriortating and the house isn’t even 10 years old! The casement windows are a bitch to open and close and are already showing signs of falling apart. The spalling (spalling???) cement along the parimeter of the porch has all but crumbled away. I just had to replace the sump pump that comes on maybe 6 times a year. The yard landscaping is like a lumpy field of little hills.

All and all, I would never buy a Mattamy (or Devonleigh) or possibly other cooky cutter home from a large developer again. I really think basic workmanship is pissed away for speed. And it’s funny because this is the LARGEST purchase a person will make in their lives, and we have NO real way to get these mistakes corrected.

One person in our community had the wrong bricks and colour put up. Mattamy offered them something like 10000 in upgrades, but refused to let them out of the contract for the house, or correct the bricks. And really, that’s BS because of how much money we pay for homes. I give someone $350000, and I expect what I pay for.

But home consumers have zero rights in Canada.

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Mattamy report on illegal wiring buried by Town of Oakville. The town with the donations.

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If anything, the recent court appearances by Toronto Mayor Rob Ford showed one thing.  It can cost one hell of a lot of money to fight city hall. A recent Toronto Star article quotes $300k if you get stuck with losing and having to pay for both sides.  Not chump change for sure.

As you know, Mattamy Homes, Peter Gilgan and their mouthpieces have threatened to take me to court on defamation charges,  a charge I pointed out they too are guilty of.  This is the type of tactic a builder will use in order to have their failures repressed.  No one is perfect but, honest people fess up and fix the problem.  Then there are those that hide behind politicians – politicians who receive donations from them.  You see, donations are perfectly legal, even if they can lead to favours.  But, try to prove some type of conflict of interest.

Others have tried the court route.

“Without securing funding from supporters in the community, Elias Hazineh says he would never have launched his suit against Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion. “As it stands now, unless you have deep pockets, you can see corruption happening in front of you and be able to do nothing about it,” he said.

Lots of people may think about taking a stand, but “once you hit the road block of financing, you realize you can’t do it on your own.”

But who should look after these conflicts?

“My guess is that my phone isn’t going to be ringing for while with people wanting to bring conflict of interest applications,” said Stephen D’Agostino, a municipal conflict of interest law expert with Thomson Rogers. “But I don’t mind because I think it should be handled by the Ontario government.”

Only an individual can bring a politician to court on a conflict of interest and the potential for financial ruin is great. 

Trying to have the government do it is impossible as well. Remember who gets all the donations from developers.  McGuinty and Hudak were high on the list.  In my case, I did not go the route of a “conflict of interest” but tried to use my experience to have the Town of Oakville pass a simple bylaw that would allow a potential homebuyer to hire a house inspector to monitor the building of their new house;  thus protecting themselves from shoddy and illegal workmanship.  A privilege enjoyed by commercial builders – they have architects, engineers and site managers to keep an eye on their construction.

The Town of Oakville even did an investigation into my case regarding the illegal wiring of my house, which put my children at risk and,allowed the subsequent sale of the house even though it would not have been allowed by the town, according to their building director.  What happened to this report?  You’d have to ask former mayor Anne Mulvale.  She seemed to have her finger on all aspects of my case – attended sub-committee meetings and led the charge at town council.  The report was never given to me.  Why is that?  It was about me so, should I not have been given a copy?

No, it was hidden and my recommendation passed up to the provincial government.  Funny thing is, a councillor who passed this, was subsequently elected to the provincial parliament and did nothing concerning this recommendation, which he voted on.  So much for taking responsibility.

It would be hard to prove a conflict of interest regarding my case.  I can only state the facts.

1: A Town of Oakville building inspector passed an illegally wired furnace, which allowed Mattamy to sell the house.  A report was made concerning my incident and passed on to the mayor.  I did not see the report.  Was it fair, honest, relevant, illustrative, blaming, etc?

2: My recommendation was not followed through and passed into provincial oblivion. No real reason except they thought it was provincial.  Sorry to say but enforcing the building code is municipal and therefore this would be one tool to ensure the structure was built to code.  Obviously the town inspector cannot do this.

3: Mayor Ann Mulvale spearheaded an effort to have Mattamy donate money, etc to Wellspring – a personal project of hers.

4: Matttmy did in fact contribute to Wellspring.

5: Mattamy continues to contribute to the United Way – a personal project of former mayor Ann Mulvale.

6: Oh, I forgot.  Mattamy was a very generous donator to Ann Mulvale’s election.  Want to see the picture?

All facts (for the lawyers) and I leave the reader to draw their own conclusions.

I ask the Town of Oakville – why are you afraid of passing the recommendation?  You pass all sorts of recommendations that affect the lives of Oakville’s citizens.  Why not pass one that protects the lives of Oakville’s citizens? You stopped smoking didn’t you?  Why not a tool to allow homeowners to prevent shoddy workmanship and unsafe construction practices?

Just what is your policy in terms of inspecting the new Mattamy subdivision – The Preserve?  Do you intend to inspect all houses at all levels of construction?  If you don’t, then I would suggest that people will get shafted just like I did.  You know – taxpayers and voters.  The people who should be protected – not BILLIONAIRES………

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Titanic was built to code. Just like a Mattamy!!!

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Shit happens.

We go through life and we find out very quickly (hopefully after an enjoyable childhood) that life is not perfect. There are people out there that make a living on someone else’s suffering and dime. Conrad Black comes to mind. There are companies who make a living ripping you off. Fancy advertising, flashy products and, issues that will turn your life into a pile of shit.

Blackberry – a respected name in communications. Through Bell Telephone and other phone companies, they sell you a variety of products and make all sorts of promises, up to and including a better sex life. I don’t think the Blackberry 9800 gives anyone an increased libido but, it did do well as a smartphone until a certain upgrade came along. This upgrade stripped it of the ability to PIN (for those non-BB crackberrys here is a link that explains the PIN – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BlackBerry#BlackBerry_PIN ) and the solution: either downgrade and thus make it crippleware or, upgrade to a new phone ($$$$).  Nice solution Bell and Blackberry. Here is a link that shows the issue (http://supportforums.blackberry.com/t5/BlackBerry-Style/6-0-bundle-3049-bug-Lost-PIN-option-on-compose-menu/td-p/1477913)

Take the Ford F150 – please.  Nice truck and a good seller.  Unfortunately, some have a tendency to either blow their spark plugs, leak through the back window or, leak through the front window and fry your electronics ($$).  Ford’s solution:  Don’t do anything, fix at the consumers cost and, feel proud they didn’t have to ask for a bailout – due to the fact they limited their recalls (??).

Both examples of good corporate citizens?  Hitler would be proud of both their policies (actually Hitler was a friend of Henry Ford – http://reformed-theology.org/html/books/wall_street/chapter_06.htm.

It appears that companies look at their bottom line and if it hits their profit and exorbitant executive bonuses, those of you who have issues, will receive little or no support.  Those who have no issues or receive the donations will shun you as troublemakers and say you are wrong.  Especially those who will make a profit living the lie.

In the building industry they are proud of the fact that they build by the oft quoted BUILDING CODE.  The people of Belfast point out that the Titanic was perfectly alright when it left Ireland.  It too was built to CODE.  A code that stated it had the right number of lifeboats.  I think historical fact kind of blows that out of the water.

On the Mike Holmes show, he continually points out the difference between CODE and QUALITY.  A difference some builders seem to miss.  In my case, Peter Gilgan and Mattamy seemed to think that a house sold to me without electricity and an illegally wired furnace was up to code.  The Town of Oakville building inspector even agreed with him and put a sticker on the furnace.  But, his boss states they would not issue an Occupancy Permit to a home that was in the condition mine was.  Who is right, Peter Gilgan the billionaire and donator to various causes or some old bureaucratic boss in the building department?  Ex-mayor of Oakville, Anne Mulvale sided with the Billionaire who donated money to Wellspring at her request.  What can I say?  Guess my United Way donation didn’t cut it.

I promote house inspectors and I promote them being allowed to inspect a new build for you, the potential owner and large investor.  They are not perfect but, when you are only allowed to inspect a premise once the walls are up, it is hard to make an objective inspection unless symptoms show up early.  Mike Holmes, in some cases, has evidence that there are problems behind the walls and thus can enjoy a good teardown.  On a new house – fresh paint, etc covers up the ills of that house.  And, as in my case, a municipal building inspector, who had the opportunity to look at the place prior to the cosmetics being put on, still allowed the issues.  (i.e. no insulation behind bay window).

One small thing – not all homes are inspected by the municipality.  Tract homes have a sampling.  Only YOUR house inspector can guarantee a full inspection prior to the wallboard, etc being put on and covering up the poor quality.  Quality that will eventually show up down the road – usually after the warranty is finished.  For those buying from speculators – keep this in mind.  Did the speculator actually do what is required to protect your interest in the future – i.e. follow timelines, and reporting guidelines.  If not, get ready to suck it up and pay the freight down the road.  And, if you are aware of the issue and try to dump the shack – you will be held responsible.

Sometimes I feel I bought the Titanic but, even though I did not have enough lifeboats (competent building inspector, ethical mayor, etc), I was able to, over time, patch the ship and am now sailing on smooth waters.  No thanks to Peter and Mattamy, who appear to have caused issues in various places which I have documented in other blogs.

Too bad the passengers who died on the Titanic didn’t have a say regarding the CODE.  Maybe more would have lived with the proper number of lifeboats determined by ethics, quality and demand, not the wishes of the builder.

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Mattamy – is there a pattern in your development?

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When I was taking classes in Urban Planning, I was given a project to do where we were given a blank piece of land and were told to develop it. Interestingly enough, when I did a stint at Municipal Affairs, I actually did some assessments on a sub-division that was the model for the tract of land I was given in the project.

While trying to be very creative I put the road along the edge of the ravine, with a walking area on the ravine edge. My instructor looked at the draft, liked what I had done but told me to start again. He told me he was marking this project as a developer would have it done. Done in a way that maximized the potential return from the tract of land. Scrap one draft and moved on to doing the standard “make it profitable”. When I did the assessment on the sub-division, it looked exactly like my finished project. So much for doing what looks good for the community.

Speaking of which, does Mattamy have a thing for substandard land. I’ve heard of people selling the proverbial swamp land in Florida but it seems that Mattamy buys sub-standard land (i.e. swamp), does a little earth moving and then builds on it. You can imagine the future problems – flooding, excess settling and bugs.

Appears that a Gail Moorhouse down Cambridge way pointed out that they had a mosquito problem in a certain sub-division built by Mattamy on the edge of a swamp – The Portuguese Swamp.  This from the Cambridge Citizen.

“In 1989 the Portuguese Swamp was cited as a reason that a new subdivision should not be allowed to proceed… This objection was noted but did not stop the construction of the Mattamy Townline subdivision which started in 2002.”

So, Mattamy was told they shouldn’t build on or near the swamp but they did.  Now  do you see how they can sell cheaper.  They buy cheap land on or near swamp land and then build on this unsavoury property and keep the costs down to make sure they can undersell their competition.  Kind of like Ford or GM buying cheap steel to save but the consumer ends up with rust.

She brings up a good point.  Have Mattamy pay to correct the mosquito problem either directly or through development fees.  Maybe they should have put a warning on their sales brochures that the area was susceptible to mosquitos and possible diseases (West Nile anyone).

Is this a one of?  Bracebridge had the flooding basements and in Ottawa, they built illegal berms.  In Ottawa they also tried to sell houses that were on land susceptible to flooding.  And lets not forget the Milton scam – construction on toxic waste.

Ah yes, good old Mattamy.  Build the dream with the built-in horror story.

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Ann Mulvale – her past reflects a future.

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In my September 18th blog I mentioned it was odd that a candidate for office would mention that they lived in a “Mattamy” home. A reader commented that I was unfair as this is a local custom in Cambridge.  I appreciate the clarification but, it shows how your resume and actions can be interpreted differently depending on the local of the reader/observer.  And, for a politician, one should be very aware of how their actions and written word can be interpreted and that the internet gives a somewhat  permanency to one’s actions.

In the case of Oakville and the upcoming election, the candidates are trying to show how their past will reflect on their future actions.  Burton points out that he has maintained the taxes over the last four years and has made the developers pay their share of development costs.  This is fact.

Ann Mulvale also has a past record.  As past president of the “Association of Municipalities of Ontario” she is on record with the following statement:  “our vision of Ontario includes autonomous,accountable and accessible municipalities“.

Well, in my case, I did get access to Oakville and the town council and I had a chance to bring my case forward.  I just found it odd that, as mayor, Mulvale got involved early in the process at the committee level and seemed to want to have the matter disappear before it got to council.  In the end, with her vote and the vote of others on council, Mattamy was NOT held accountable for the illegal (code) wiring that put my children at risk and allowed what should have been considered an illegal sale and, the inspector who passed the furnace with the illegal wiring was not disciplined.  Where was the accountability?

According to Chris Stoate,  a candidate in the 2006 election for Mayor of Oakville, “he pushed through – over the Mayor’s objection – a project to protect Oakville’s trees”.  To me, that shows Mulvale as someone more interested in the developers than for our natural environment in Oakville.  Trees block access to land to be developed.

Recently, ” Former mayor Ann Mulvale pledged Tuesday to appoint an independent auditor general, if elected as mayor, to bring greater transparency to the Town’s finances“, if elected.  There was an investigation of my illegal wiring issue and a report submitted by the investigator.  I never received a copy of this report.  Why is she so hot to hire, at extra expense, an auditor when she doesn’t share the outcome of reports submitted.  She didn’t show any accountability on this matter.

And she is on record as being against “development charges” and supports Ford in the selling of land to Transcanada for a mega-power plant.  What about those who live adjacent to this power plant?  For her, development is prime.

No, Ann Mulvale has earned her nickname “on the street”.  Asphalt Annie is very pro-development and, in my case, allowed an infraction by a builder and recommendations to prevent further occurrences to be pushed off to the province without any admonishment of Mattamy nor the inspector.  No accountability there and, Mattamy got to donate to Wellspring – at the request of Ann Mulvale. So, the optics on this one show a different picture than the fantasy she is putting to the voter.

So, in the upcoming elections do you want a developer run council (i.e. Mattamy et al) or a taxpayer run council?  It is your choice.  Mattamy has shown its preference by bringing in bus loads of workers to sway council votes. 

With a developer supported council, they will save on the bus rentals.
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“Mulvale Returns” – A new Mattamy sponsored horror movie?

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Canada Day – I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable Canada Day today and, if you’re lucky to have Friday and the weekend off – have a good time and enjoy.

I originally wasn’t going to put out a blog today but two points came up.

One:  June 25th was my 2nd year anniversary with this blog. 

 My 4th wedding anniversary is coming up.  Hope I don’t remember that after the date.  🙂   

I’d just like to thank those who are taking the time to read it and, to thank those who draw my attention to information or send me facts.  All much appreciated.

Second:  I see  “Asphalt Annie” is back in the political fray.  She announced that she was going to run for the Mayor of Oakville in the upcoming election.

“Asphalt Annie”?  To her friends and the developers, she is known as Ann Mulvale, former mayor of Oakville.

In her statement she stated the following:

“What I’m hearing is residents have noticed change.”

Yes, that’s right Ann.  We have seen change and the developers don’t like it.  We now stand up to them and say – pay your own freight if you want to make money here, not the taxpayer.  Most taxpayers, except those reaping in the money from developers, do like the change.  Why not you?

“Mulvale said the community has expressed great concern about Ward 5 Councillor Jeff Knoll, who for two years in a row has received no appointments to committees (other than mandatory appointments like the administrative services committee).” 

 I have no ill feelings against Jeff but maybe he isn’t on some committees for maybe being too close to developers like Mattamy.  Was he not involved in getting Mattamy to do work on a local historical society parking lot, or was that BOT and Mattamy helped with the renovation?  A nice thing to have happen but at what cost.  How will he vote when Mattamy asks for something?

We know how Ann Mulvale voted when we had a complaint against Mattamy.  It’s on public record.  You know the one where they sold me the house with illegal (code) wiring and nothing happened to Mattamy.  A report was done – never seen by me and, nothing became of it.  Maybe Ann was doing her “famous” behind the scenes negotiations.

Yeah, that’s right.  She wrangled some funding for her Wellspring project.  I guess that was more important than dealing with an issue that put children’s lives at risk.

Working behind the scenes?  Read this clip: 

“On the TransCanada power plant issue, Mulvale said she has already been working behind the scenes and making connections with many of the leaders involved.” 

 Meanwhile, the incumbant, Rob Burton, has been very vocal in his opposition.  We know where he stands but Mulvale is working in secret behind everyone’s back.  Just like she did on my complaint.  And you know where that got me?

“Democracy is served by choice; I am privileged to be part of your choice on Oct. 25.”

Yes, Ann, democracy is served by choice and we’ve seen your choices in the past.  I must admit you have aligned yourself with some good causes – good publicity there but you’ve also aligned yourself too close to the developers in the past and allowed them advantages they should never had been given.  I can’t tell you all about Mattamy due to the gag order but when you consider you let it go by and did nothing about the illegal electrical problem, it showed you felt that Mattamy’s goals were more important than the safety of my children. 

You’ve helped me make my choice for October 25th and it doesn’t include “Asphalt Annie” and her developer cohorts. 

Oh, and by the way.  You can expect me handing out information brochures as part of my right to protest at the various political forums I am sure you will attend.  I think the public deserves to know the Mattamy story and your involvement – another right of Democracy.  But, don’t worry.  Unlike the Black Bloc of the G20, I don’t intend to break windows or cause any problems.  Just do a peaceful protest under my democratic right to do so.  See you there.

Regarding the media report on your announcement.  Here are some comments by those who read the story.  Verrrrrry interestink.

I want Burton

I guess you dont follow politics that closely – the rally at Queens Park was sponsored by C4CA – not Burton. Burton does feel that the power plant should be stopped. Following politics you should know of the action plan for the Oakville Clarkson airshed that was just released (commissioned by the Liberal government) that states that the air in this area is extremly polluted and heavily stressed – its recommnedations include – no new emmissions in the area and no power plant. Asphalt Annie as she was known because of her tendancy to sell out the Town to developers would like to sell out the town to transcanada – she is about money money and money – not about the towns people – never has been – never will – thats why she has not actual taken a stance on the power plant other then saying she si working behind the scene. Burton has not alienated Ford – Ford – the corporation – has alienated the Town by selling their lands to a massive polluter an unsafe location for a massive power plant – Are we as towns pe

Welcoem back Anne

As a follower of poltical goings ons here in Oakville and across the GTA I am glad Mulvale is back. lets examine the Burton record. His cronies were secretly appointed to well paying hydro board jobs. I saw where Burton beat up on the developers, shut out a Councillor by not appointing him to committees, ran down the farming community and beat them up publicly. Then he takes school kids to Queens Park where he gets them to chant “TCE sucks”. He has alienated the workers at Ford by getitng rid of his Oakville built car. That is the type of leader you want? Mr Burton, I say don’t let the door hit your egotistical ass on the way out the door

Burton still has my vote.

Burton still has my vote.

Mulvale is a danger

She sold this Town out to developers when she was in office. She has already written letters to the Editor pointing out that we shouldnt be down on Ford for them selling their land to TransCanada. She says she is working behind the scenes on the TransCanada issue but doesnt come out and say she is against it….my guess is she is for it because she is all about selling out. I would vote for an carbon rod before I voted for her to come back into power –

 

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Mattamy Homes – thinking outside the box????

It appears that Mattamy Homes has come up with an idea that is not novel but, is new to the building industry.  Recently, in order to stimulate sales in Minnesota, Mattamy decided to offer EMPLOYEE pricing on their homes.  Yes, just like Ford and GM, Mattamy is willing to give you the same price as they offer their employees ( Minnesota only though folks, so pack up your bags if you really want this deal).

I only ask, will the potential homeowner have the same advantage as the employee when they buy the house?  Yes, they might get the same price but do they also get the same opportunity to monitor construction and, since the employee has one up on the average house buyer, can the potential owner hire the professional skills of a house inspector to compliment the employee pricing?

I can’t see one of the fellow workers illegally wiring a fellow employee’s house (unless they really don’t get along)  but, what about the poor guy who knows nothing about construction. 

Come on Mattamy – really think outside the box and be the first in Ontario to allow house inspectors to monitor construction.  Be one with the community.

Mattamy gives unethical sale – CountryWide gives a free car – you choose

If you have been following the Mattamy Homes debacle in Ottawa through the “Mattamy Fairwinds Kanata Phase 5 Delay Blog”  you will have read the following:  “As a consumer I have greater protection when buying a thirty thousand dollar car than I do when buying a three hundered thousand dollar home. It is time home buyers where afforded reasonable protection within the province of Ontario.”

Well, it seems at least one builder has decided to give you that car protection by throwing in, yes, throwing in a brand new car (KIA) with warranty if you purchase one of their homes fully loaded with upgrades (standard).  CountryWide homes , whom I really can’t comment on regarding their service and quality as I have no experience with them, has decided to give potential buyers something of true value to entice them to buy a home.  In the October 2nd, 2008 Toronto Star on page HC 8 there is an add that refers you to a website for further information. 

And how will Mattamy Homes fight this – donate more to a local politician or actually produce a home on time with quality workmanship.  In lieu of the free car, I think a few Mattamy Home’s owners would settle for just that.  But, I give cudos to CountryWide for coming up with something of a very positive nature to stimulate sales.  It is at least worth a look see.

I wonder if Ford, who has quality and sales problems will offer a new house with the purchase of a SUV.  On the quality issue, Ford and Mattamy would make a beautiful partnership.