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Family in legal dispute with City of Vaughan, developer gets assistance

Yorkregion.com
Aug. 26, 2015

An Ottawa-based non-profit organization has stepped up to help a Vaughan family locked in a legal battle they fear will leave them bankrupt.

Canadians for Properly Built Homes established a trust fund at the Scotiabank branch at Weston Rd. and Rutherford Rd., (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.

The trust fund was set up after The Toronto Star published a story about the Woodbridge family last week.

The Walters’, whose struggles have been chronicled in the Vaughan Citizen since 2012, are locked in a legal fight with the City of Vaughan and builder Villa Royale over who is responsible for missing insulation in their home’s attic, which led to a build up of mould and forced them to leave out of concern for their health.

Sydney Walters is living with his wife and their teenage son in a cramped one-bedroom apartment they’ve been renting while continuing to pay the mortgage for their mould-infested house.

He says the situation is pushing them into poverty and could wind up costing them their home.
“We will never recover and I don’t see an end in sight,” he said.

Walters, who says he’s nearly $200,000 in debt, is thankful for the community’s support.

He says any funds would go to help pay his mortgage and overhead costs - to ensure he can prevent his home from being repossessed by the bank.

And he’s still waiting for a call from Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua.

“I am pleading to the mayor to personally get involved, and see that this matter is settled,” he said.