One Canadian couple's fight against a contractor who defrauded them

W5: Contractor, part one Sarah Plowman speaks to the Ridley family who allege their contractor purposefully defrauded them.

Pull into the driveway at John and Julie Ridley’s house and you’ll notice large patches of red siding are missing from their house and garage.

What was supposed to be a dream retirement home for the couple is now a daily reminder of what went wrong.

“Your first thought is ‘Oh my God I can’t believe, I can’t believe that we had this happen to us,” said Julie Ridley.

The couple bought their house in Lincoln, New Brunswick in March 2022.

Soon after, they hired Brandon Boudreau of BGB Construction Inc. and Boudreau Construction Ltd. to build a second storey atop their garage. The vision was to add a large master bedroom, an ensuite bathroom and extend their living room.

Boudreau came recommended by a local business the Ridleys trusted and offered a quote lower than anyone else — he texted he could do the job for $70,000.

The Ridleys asked for a contract and began to e-transfer Boudreau installments of $2,000.

Boudreau texted he was buying materials and sending deposits to workers.

Over five months, the Ridleys sent Boudreau a total of $45,486.

“I’ve got a pretty good judge of character so when it first started, when things weren’t coming together, when work wasn’t being done but money was still going out the door, I kind of had that, I was like ‘uh, there’s something wrong’,” said Julie.

The couple said they repeatedly asked Boudreau for a contract but all they got were excuses. First, his lawyer was away. Then, he wrote up a contract but couldn’t connect his computer to the internet. Then, he said he signed a contract and promised to send it. But the Ridleys said they never received a contract.

When Boudreau did show up, he brought a crane to remove the garage roof. He never returned.

“He was here for maybe an hour and a half. Maybe? And then that was it,” said Julie.

For six months the garage roof sat in their backyard. A tarp covered the garage, but rain meant water seeped in and damaged their basement.

Canada-wide snapshot

The Ridleys had seemingly hired a bad contractor.

Every year, Canadians deal with irresponsible contractors or those who purposefully defraud others out of money. A spokesperson for the Better Business Bureau (BBB) said as of November, it received more than 150 complaints about general contractors across Canada.

The organization also tracks home improvement scams — a type of scam the BBB consistently ranks as one of the riskiest scams for Canadians. As of November, the BBB received more than 140 reports of such scams. Nearly 82 per cent reported losing money.

The fight to get money back

As the Ridleys’ garage roof sat in their backyard, Boudreau still texted regularly. In multiple messages, the contractor said he or workers would return, but no one did. Reasons varied. At times, Boudreau said he was sick or down workers, or his trailer broke down. He promised a discount for the job.

By September 2022, the Ridleys were fed up and hired a lawyer. In a letter addressed to Boudreau, the Ridleys threatened to sue Boudreau or go to police unless he repaid them. That led nowhere.

Julie said RCMP initially told her their issue is a civil matter. The couple felt as though they had nowhere to turn.

“If you try to sue to get your money back, every lawyer you talk to wants ten grand down. Well, now we don’t have the ten grand,” said John.

Eventually Julie turned to Facebook, only to learn there were allegedly others.

The couple pushed for police to investigate.

“I had to kind of fight and argue and push my way through and dig my heels in, but it was finally accepted,” said Julie.

In February 2024, Boudreau was charged with fraud over $5,000 in the Ridley’s case.

Over the summer, he pleaded guilty.

As they awaited the sentencing, the Ridleys questioned whether they’d get their money back.

“To take $45,000 and put it away saved takes one pile of work,” said John Ridley.

Sentencing

On Oct. 15, a judge sentenced Boudreau to serve a conditional sentence for two years less a day, including six months of house arrest, and to repay the Ridleys what he owed plus damages -- $51,955.

The contractor stood in court and apologized to the Ridleys in front of the judge and others present.

“It was wrong. And I was in the wrong state of mind. And I apologize. It won’t happen again. And I won’t go down that road again,” said Boudreau.

Defence lawyer David Lutz told the court Boudreau’s arrest probably saved his life and that his client is now sober and seeking counselling.

“His relationship was in trouble, alcohol, drugs, gambling. He didn’t set out to defraud the people but once you have the money and you have those four problems you get extremely reckless,” Lutz said.

The Ridleys walked out of court as one of the rare and lucky ones. They got their money back.

“I’m stunned. I’m absolutely gobsmacked. It’s awesome,” said Julie.

But inside the courtroom, mere metres from the Ridleys, were others who say Boudreau also owes them money.

“I’m glad she got her money back. I’m just hoping we can do the same thing,” said Lana Kovinich.

Boudreau denied or did not respond to CTV News’ multiple requests for an interview.

None of the Kovinich’s allegations have been tested in court.

Going public

The Ridleys wanted to share their story to warn others.

“Other people need to know about this guy and guys like him so this, what happened to us, doesn’t happen to them. ‘Cause it can actually ruin people,” said John.

Julie said she believes more information needs to be shared publicly and notes that people are often afraid to come forward because of the stigma or because they’re embarrassed.

“We just want people to understand that it’s okay to come forward, even if it’s a small thing. You need to tell somebody,” she said.

She also wants to remind homeowners to be cautious about their decisions.

“If you have that little twinge in your stomach saying, ‘I don’t know, this is uncomfortable,’ listen to it,” she said.