The Ontario government says it will establish a separate regulator for the building industry to remove potential conflicts in Tarion, the province’s new home warranty corporation, which was designed to regulate builders and simultaneously oversee consumer protections for new-construction home buyers. Government and Consumer Services Minister Bill Walker announced a new round of consultations on Wednesday that will “explore” whether to break Tarion’s monopoly by introducing multiple warranty providers — a system that is available in other provinces. Walker said he hopes to have a decision later this year.Meantime, Tarion will be required to provide more warning about developers who cancel condo projects and more consumer information about buying pre-construction homes.The Progressive Conservative government also plans to introduce legislative amendments that will force Tarion to publicly disclose its executive and board compensation and redraw the board to include more skills-based directors, he said. The changes, initiated under the former provincial Liberals, followed an independent judicial review and years of complaints by consumers, who alleged the home warranty program had failed to protect their interests.On Wednesday, Walker called Tarion “broken.”“There are many families across the province who have faced difficulties over the years when seeking a solution from Tarion,” he said.He added, “The increase in pre-construction condo cancellations has not gone unnoticed.”Walker made the announcement in Port Hope, Ont., alongside Krista Shuman. Her husband Earl took his own life in 2016 after battling for 27 years for compensation for a home they bought north of Cobourg in 1989 from an unregistered builder. “This is a day my husband had hoped to see. I am extremely proud to say he worked for decades to bring all of us here this morning,” she told the press conference.In an interview wi ...
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