Vaughan homeowner desperate to find resolution

Special account set up for family on the verge of losing their home.

Thestar.com
Aug. 26, 2015
By Noor Javed

Sydney Walters says he fears the day when he will lose everything.

The Vaughan homeowner has become tangled in an ongoing legal fight with the City of Vaughan and the builder Villa Royale Homes Inc. over who is responsible for the missing insulation in the attic of his home that led to mould and forced his family to leave.

He continues to pay the mortgage of the house, and the rent on a one-bedroom basement apartment where he lives with his family. Walters says the situation is pushing him into poverty - and could force him to lose his home.

“The city has put us through tremendous hardship,” he said. “We will never recover and I don’t see an end in sight,” he said.

Since the Walters’ story was published in the Star last week, many readers have responded with offers to help. A non-for profit organization called Canadians for Properly Built Homes has set up a trust fund at a Scotiabank branch near Weston Rd and Rutherford Rds., (Account number: 07286 04049 85) for anyone who would like donate to the Walters family.

“We wanted to let the Walters family know they are not alone, that somebody cares, and there are others out there going through similar situations,” said Karen Somerville, president of the CPBH, which aims to increase consumer awareness about building standards and push for greater protections.

Walters, who is nearly $200,000 in debt, says he is thankful for the support from the community. He says any funds would go to help pay his mortgage, and overhead costs - to ensure he can prevent his home from being possessed by the bank.

And he’s still waiting for a call from Vaughan’s mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua. “I am pleading to the mayor to personally get involved, and see that this matter is settled,” he said.

Donations can be sent via cheques or in person at the Scotiabank branch at 9333 Weston Rd, Unit #1, Woodbridge, Ont. L4H 3G8.