Beware travelling contractors this summer
By Stu Salkeld
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Your West Central Voice
OYEN—It's summertime in Alberta. The sun is shining, crops are growing and travelling contractors are hitting the road to work across Western Canada. While some of that work may be decent quality, some of it isn't. And that may be no accident.
The RCMP warns rural Canadians about certain travelling contractors, called simply "Travellers." Travellers are a distinct group that police say can be recognized. RCMP K Division spokesperson Fraser Logan said Travellers have a formula they operate by.
RCMP regularly warn rural Alberta and Saskatchewan residents about travelling contractors, or "Travellers." Submitted
"Paving scams are very common," Logan stated in a June 19 email. "Contractors claim to have leftover materials from previous jobs and offer to pave driveways and parking lots at reduced pricing.
"Companies may use business names that suggest they are affiliated with a government road maintenance department and typically provide false addresses or contact information. After contractors collect payment and disappear from the area, customers discover the materials used are poor quality and the work is unprofessional. Victims are sometimes left unable to contact the scammers and face expensive asphalt repairs, or in other incidents, the contractors attempt to intimidate the customer into paying after the work is completed for poor products and services."
Hiring a contractor comes with risks, but there are ways to minimize those risks.
Town of Oyen Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Sacha Martens said a quick, easy way to judge a contractor's reputation is to ask for their local business licence, noting there is a purpose behind business licence bylaws.
"A protection purpose," said Martens by phone June 18.
Martens said that by requiring business licences for both local and out-of-town vendors, the municipality can keep up with what's going on in the community, including business trends.
As well, business licences protect the local tax-paying business community by ensuring out-of-town businesses pay their share too. She clarified that all businesses require a business licence, with no exceptions.
Some rural residents may not be aware that not only are local business licences required in many communities, but Government of Alberta licensing may be required as well, especially for the type of work travelling contractors usually specialize in: prepaid or "progress payment" situations.
According to the Government of Alberta, "There are special rules for contractors who accept money before work is complete and discuss or finalize a contract away from their normal place of business (i.e., your home). These contractors are considered prepaid contractors. They must be licensed by Service Alberta and post a security."
In Saskatchewan, out-of-province contractors who provide services to real property are required to obtain "licensed vendor" status through Saskatchewan's Ministry of Finance, which ensures provincial sales tax is collected.
Contacted by Your West Central Voice June 23, Kindersley Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kevin Martin said he understood people hiring travelling contractors may want to save some money, but locals could also protect themselves while doing it by asking prospective contractors for references. Martin observed that if a contractor can't provide references, this may be a warning sign.
The Olds-Didsbury-Sundre Rural Crime Watch also has a warning about Travellers online.
"Known in enforcement circles as 'Travellers,' they are a distinct group of nomadic individuals historically of Irish, Scottish and English descent that arrive in Canada and are operating as unlicensed, itinerant contractors," the rural crime watch website states. "They tend to visit southern Alberta in the spring each year. The groups run scams involving paving, painting, roofing, rain gutters, chimney repair or any other home renovations."
Other advice RCMP gave to consider before hiring a paving contractor includes researching a business name online, getting a written quote that includes exact job details and is signed by the contractor, obtaining a local quote for comparison if possible, not paying up front and not being afraid to say "no" if you feel uncomfortable.
A useful tool for readers concerned about Travellers in Alberta is the Government of Alberta's online consumer alerts. Coincidentally, one of the topics listed is "Asphalt paving fraud."