In the rush to build more homes, Embrun flood sparks questions about oversight

An expert is raising questions about oversight and whether crucial steps are being skipped to build homes faster after a flood in Embrun, Ont.

In the rush to build homes faster amid Canada’s housing crisis, an Ottawa-based contractor is raising serious questions about oversight and whether crucial steps are being skipped after a devastating flood in Embrun, Ont.

“They say let’s build more houses but let’s be very careful what conditional approvals we give or what steps we skip because if we skip the wrong step, this can happen,” said contractor Ryan Branton, host of The Contractor Ryan show.

“What happened here? This house went up quick and now we’re seeing the consequences of it.”

In March, a catastrophic flood gutted two newly built semi-detached homes, leaving homeowners with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage and seven tenants without homes.

“The human aspect is not here,” said tenant and homeowner Arlene Woods. “I was supposed to be preparing myself for retirement, the next stage of life and this was the investment that we were working with. I’m close to my grandkids, I have a beautiful view, and it was all stripped away.”

Long before the flood, Branton says the warning signs were there as he surveyed the damage, comparing the original plans with what was built.

“The plans kind of tell the story because this was supposed to be 18 inches and it’s like seven, so it’s a little red flag,” Branton said while measuring the height of the porch.

He says the discrepancy between the original plans and the finished build, coupled with the absence of a final grading certificate in municipal files, raises serious questions about oversight.

“When that permit closes, everything needs to be in the hands of the municipality, your grading, all your building inspections,” said Branton.

He says the final grading certificate, which confirms that a property slopes away from the home to prevent flooding, is supposed to be on file before final inspection.

While the Township of Russell signed off on the property in late 2024, that certificate is missing from municipal records.

So too is a final grading plan and engineering report for a retaining wall installed in August 2024 by the builder, Saca Homes.

“They put in the retaining wall to try to solve those retaining issues, but did they engineer that? Did they call someone in to look at it? My eye tells me they didn’t,” said Branton.

“It’s a red flag. Something was skipped, there was oversight. What that was, I’m not 100 per cent sure, but these grading reports or these final inspections typically come as a package.”

An engineering report obtained by CTV News Ottawa concludes that improper grading and a blocked catch basin caused the flood, but the homeowners say they weren’t told about any deficiencies until after they moved in.

Emails from the builder show work was still being signed off on after the homeowners took possession.

“I feel like there should have been more issues or more red flags and we should have at least been made aware that this could have been a possibility at the end of the day,” said homeowner Josée Greaves.

Both the builder Saca Homes and the township are pointing fingers at the developer, a numbered company, 1437137 Ontario Inc.

In an email to CTV News, Robert Bourdeau says he is not the developer but confirmed he’s a director and officer of the company behind the project.

He is also the founder of Robert Excavating, which was called in to help with flood mitigation.

“It’s not just the builder who’s involved here, there’s the developer, the person who developed the land long before the property was sold,” said Branton. “Certainly, the township here has got some responsibility to bear too, they were here they approved the plans.”

While the water may be gone, the damage remains.

“It’s very frustrating and if you don’t feel you’re responsible, go after whoever is,” said homeowner Brenden Haldane. “It shouldn’t be our responsibility to go after whoever is responsible, we bought the house from the builder.”

Greaves says insurance is covering some of the damage to her home, while Haldane says he’s been left high and dry by his insurance company.

The homeowners have filed claims with Tarion, Ontario’s new home warranty program, and are currently waiting for the results of the investigation.