Eastern Ontario family’s dream backyard turns into a nightmare, raising questions about contractor oversight

CTV News has uncovered a pattern of projects built without permits and allegations of improper work tied to one contractor. CTV’s Katelyn Wilson reports.

An eastern Ontario family thought they were building a dream backyard. Instead, they say they lost tens of thousands of dollars—and they’re not alone.

CTV News has uncovered a troubling pattern of projects built without permits and allegations of improper work, all tied to one contractor.

Last June, Kevin Varley and his wife hired Timbercraft Summer Structures Ltd., owned by Kirk Sturgeon.

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While he stands behind that company, today he promotes a different one, Timbercraft Leisure Living Inc. and records show it was set up this year. He also operates another home renovation business, Castlecorp Design Build Ltd.

The Varleys were quoted $240,000 with work scheduled to begin Aug. 1, 2024, pending a permit.

“What we envisioned in the end was going to be a hot tub, in an enclosed space with a fireplace, there was going to be Sunspace windows and doors throughout,” said Varley.

But several months into the project they learned there was no permit, and the Township of Beckwith issued a stop work order on May 1, 2025.

“All that work that had been done to date, which included some of the helical piles being put into place, most of the deck, the concrete work. Nothing was inspected because there was no permitting process in place,” said Varley.

“That point in time it became very concerning, and we found out one of the reasons he didn’t have a permit was that he didn’t pay his subtrades.”

While Sturgeon denies not paying his subtrades, when the permit was finally issued, what was built didn’t match the plans.

Contractor Ryan Branton, who has worked in the industry for nearly two decades, walked CTV News through the problems.

“The first thing I saw when I came in here is looking at how the deck is structured or attached to the house. It’s attached to the siding, which is not something that we do,” said Branton.

“The other thing I see are the posts. You can look underneath, and you can see that he didn’t use a six-by-six post, he used a two-by-six cladded together, which again is something we don’t do.”

Eventually, the Varleys say they walked away after more delays and allegedly more problems.

By then they had paid $96,000 and what had been built later failed inspection, but Sturgeon says that’s because the project wasn’t yet finished.

He also provided CTV News with an itemized list and breakdown of what was spent, which he says totals $88,428.15.

Multiple deficiencies

According to the inspection report, dated June 25, 2025, it flagged multiple deficiencies, including missing joists, improperly supported beams, unfinished floor framing around the pool, missing joist and beam hangers and a ledger board that wasn’t fastened or in direct contact with the dwelling as required. The inspector noted parts of the structure wasn’t built to code and warned additional issues could surface on re-inspection.

“In my opinion it needs to come down and start over, there’s so much wrong here,” said Branton. “I do agree with the city inspector that this needs to be shut down.”

The Varleys aren’t alone. CTV News spoke with three other families with similar stories, work started without permits, subcontractors allegedly unpaid and projects allegedly not built properly.

In Ottawa, another couple say they paid Sturgeon around $180,000 for a four-season sunroom.

They wanted to remain anonymous but let Branton show CTV News the issues and why they walked away.

“Again, with this project, they started before the permit was done,” said Branton. “Right now, with this property, it has failed an inspection for the roof and I’m pretty sure it’s going to fail the inspection for the structure around the hot tub.”

Contractor denies allegations

CTV News spoke with Sturgeon on the phone and by email. He denies the allegations, saying everything was built properly and it creates a false impression to judge a project before it’s finished.

While he admits to starting projects without permits, he blames the municipalities for taking too long.

Writing in an email, “I understand you have a commitment to wash out dishonest or corrupt contractors in the industry, but that’s not me.”

In a second email regarding the Varleys he says, “We would happily return to correct the deficiencies, but we are not allowed back on the property at the owner’s request due to mental anguish.” Adding, “We have a five-year warranty for everything we build and we have never not returned to honour our warranty on any of our projects.”

Sturgeon is an independent dealer of Sunspace products, and in a statement to CTV News, director of marketing, François Beaudry says, “We have recently been informed of likely fraudulent activity committed by one of our independent dealers. We deeply regret any inconvenience caused to the clients affected and encourage anyone with concerns to contact us directly here: [e-mail]. Over the next few days, we will be reaching out to customers who may have been affected by this situation to offer our support. At the same time, we are carefully assessing the most appropriate actions to take.”

We reached out to the Township of Beckwith and the City of Ottawa about the average length of time it takes to acquire a permit and what enforcement actions are taken if work begins without one.

No licencing system for contractors in Ontario

The township did not respond, but in a statement Scott Lockhart, deputy chief building official with Building Code Services at the city of Ottawa says,

“The city employs a progressive enforcement approach. Typically, the first step involves directing the party responsible to stop work and apply for the required permits. If compliance is not achieved, further tools, such as formal stop-work orders, may be used. Orders not complied with can be prosecuted, and recurring offenders are subject to higher penalties if found guilty by the court. In general, Building Code Services issues more than 200 orders annually.

“The city typically responds to complete applications for smaller residential projects, such as home renovations, decks, and sheds, within seven to 10 business days. The time required to issue a permit depends on the quality of the submission and whether it complies with the Ontario Building Code and other applicable laws. Seasonal volumes can also affect review times. At present, most permits for these types of projects are being issued within 15 to 20 days. Incomplete applications or those missing required information will take longer to process.”

As for licensing contractors, the city says any decision would have to go before council in a future bylaw review.

Provincially, there is no licensing system for general contractors in Ontario, which Branton says leaves room for little oversight, and while some cities like Toronto require licenses, others including Ottawa currently do not.

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“I think what needs to happen now all across Ontario is we really need to start licensing contractors. The cities need to know who is operating in their city, what type of work they’re doing. I don’t want to put another tax on contractors, but at the same time it’s really the wild, wild west out there and anything goes.”

“The protections are not there for the consumer,” said Branton. “There’s no enforcement, there’s no one driving around looking for unpermitted work, the cities are relying on neighbours to complain and that’s just not adequate.”

Leaving families like the Varleys with very little recourse, other than to start over.

“It’s horrible, there’s been many tears shed,” said Varley. “We feel victimized, ripped off, angry, there’s no accountability.”