Ottawa police receive complaints about Highbridge Construction

February 9, 2023 Canuck

Ottawa police say its fraud section has received two complaints about Highbridge Construction, the east Ottawa company that abruptly shut down leaving homeowners, employees and contractors in the lurch and in some cases owed hundreds of thousands of dollars.

It comes as employees reveal the company asked for volunteers to withhold cashing their cheques until this week.

The company had told employees it was issuing cheques instead of paying them through direct deposit as usual because they were changing companies.

Those who did hold off said the cheques bounced when they went to cash them.

The landlord of one Highbridge Construction office said it would be working with employees to set up a time for them to come into the building to get any of their personal belongings.

Highbridge Construction shuttered last week, telling employees in an email obtained by CTV News that it was “forced to close its door and cease business operations.” Another email to employees had asked them to hold off on cashing paycheques until Monday, offering Air Miles to those who waited.

Customers who spoke to CTV News describe being out tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars. In at least one customer’s case, the money was uninsured and she has no way to recover it.

Attempts to reach the owners of the company have been unsuccessful.

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