An Edmonton woman is warning the public of an asphalt paving company doing faulty work. Livia Lee said a man, who went by the name James, came to her door last week, offering to pave her driveway for $5,000. James told Lee his company had recently completed a project at a home down the road. She said that dropped her guard. “Halfway through, as they were laying the pavement, something felt wrong,” Lee told CTV News Edmonton. She took to Reddit to see what other Edmontonians were saying. “Redditors told me that although it looks like asphalt, it’s done poorly, it will crack within one year, and when you go to call them, you won’t be able to reach anyone. They will have dissolved their company and they will have fled Edmonton,” recalled Lee. One of the first red flags was that the crew used tar and chip, also known as Chipseal – a budget-friendly asphalt – over gravel. “It costs half as much, and if laid properly, it might be as durable. But Chipseal is supposed to be laid on top of asphalt, not gravel,” said Lee. “They didn’t put down a base. They didn’t do anything their invoice claimed they would do.” The alarm bells really started ringing when Paul, James’ associate, knocked on the back door of her home, pointing out flaws in the backyard sidewalks and cracks in the garage floor, saying they could fix them with another $5,000 payment. “We said no the first time … but then he came back when we were handing off the first $5,000, he pushed and pushed and pushed and we just felt pressured to say yes,” explained Lee. That was another thing that made Lee suspicious of the company’s intentions – they would only accept cash or e-transfer. Lee asked if she could pay with a credit card when they were half-way through paving her driveway, but Paul said there were “environmental” and “tar” taxes associated with a credit card payment. He urged her to go to the bank and take out $5,000 cash. “In hindsight it absolutely is a red flag to fork over that much money or have someone pressure you into buying.” After seeing through the con, Lee refused to pay the second installment of $5,000. “They told me if I don’t pay them the remaining $5,000, they would come rip up the driveway,” said Lee. She called the police who told her that they essentially couldn’t do anything because it’s a civil matter between Lee and an unregistered, unlicensed business. “I can’t sue them in small claims court because the company doesn’t exist. The names they gave me are fake,” said Lee. While she can’t take any legal recourse, Lee hopes to spread the word so others won’t fall for the same racket. She estimates about six other homes in the Gold Bar neighbourhood have had work done by the same men. On top of the shoddy work, Lee said the men were drinking on the job and had damaged items in her garage, including a kiln filled with ceramics and a miter saw. “I don’t know if all of our belongings are actually there or not,” said Lee. She said there was no company logo on the truck the men used, but that she did get a business card. The website on the business card had generic information and said it was made in July 2025, added Lee. Brenda Kiziak also had her driveway done by the same company – but she has no complaints. “They did a good job,” said Kiziak. “I was outside the whole time, watching them. So I think that’s why mine is a little bit better than (Lee’s).” Brandon Aboultaif, press secretary to the Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction said the province has been warning Albertans about unscrupulous asphalt paving companies travelling throughout the province, targeting residential, commercial and farming residents in small towns and rural communities. “To help protect consumers from dishonest business activities, Service Alberta posts alerts for individuals and businesses that pose threats to the marketplace,” said Aboultaif in an email. “These alerts are intended to help Albertans make informed decisions and encourage researching of businesses before making large purchases or signing contracts.” Alberta RCMP says it’s pretty common to see paving hustles around this time of the year. “As of late, I’ve seen Sturgeon County, Fort Saskatchewan, Red Deer, St. Albert, Innisfail, Hinton, to name a few attachments that have put out alerts about a paving scam,” said RCMP public information officer Matthew Howell. He said some people will come from out of province or out of the country, going through towns offering a deal on what turns out to be subpar work. “Often when you see a price that’s too good to be true, that tends to be the case,” said Howell. “You always have to make sure to do your research.” “Rule of thumb tends to be: anyone who comes to your door, refuse.” With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Amanda Anderson
