Calgarians hit by hailstorm urged to watch out for unlicensed contractors

The City of Calgary is stressing the importance of getting a legitimate, licensed contractor to carry out repair work in the wake of a brutal hailstorm that wreaked havoc on parts of the city last week.

Thousands of residents are still dealing with the aftermath of the severe thunderstorm that rolled through last Monday night, bringing baseball-sized hail that left its mark on houses and vehicles.

The city is urging homeowners to never pay for services in full before they are completed and to always verify that a contractor carries liability insurance.

“There are some contractors that may just want to get as much money as they can, as quick as they can,” says Michael Briegel, deputy chief of business with the City of Calgary. “We just want to ensure that property owners check that they do have proper business licenses with the city.”

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The city says a team of peace officers will be patrolling neighbourhoods impacted by the storm to help ensure all contractors are legitimate. Fines start at $1,000 for any businesses caught without the proper paperwork.

“Instead of issuing warnings, we’re going to be dealing with them a little more quickly,” Briegel says.

Ron Singh started up Top Right Roofing and Siding eight years ago and says he’s noticed a major influx of new contractors advertising around Calgary since the last week’s storm.

He says he isn’t worried, he just hopes Calgarians will do their homework before hiring.

“The safety is the main thing, because whenever someone is working on your property, then the homeowner is liable for that,” Singh says. “If someone fell down, they don’t have WCB coverage, then the workers can sue the homeowners as well.” 

He says the path of destruction left behind from the hailstorm will keep him busy for at least the next three years.

“There will be a big shortage of roofing and siding materials coming up, because like 16 communities have been damaged,” Singh says. “This is massive and it’s just going to keep on going.”

Anyone with concerns regarding a potentially illegitimate contracting company is asked to call 311.