Former Cresford Group executive Maria Athanasoulis filed a 33-page wrongful dismissal complaint on Jan. 21 that alleged the company was in a “cash crisis,” and was failing to pay contractors and incurring costly delays on its projects.
On March 27, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice appointed receivers for three projects managed by the Cresford Group, whose parent company Oakleaf Consulting Ltd. is controlled by Daniel Casey and his family. The court named PricewaterhouseCoopers Inc. as the receiver for 33 Yorkville Residences Inc. at the behest of construction lenders BCIMC Construction Fund Corp. and Otéra Capital Inc.
In a separate filing, PWC was also appointed receiver for The Clover on Yonge Inc. and 480 Yonge St. Inc., which is branded as Halo.
Construction loans are parcelled out over time and come with covenants that allow for third-party consultants to ensure the projects’ budgets are on track before new funds are released.
BCIMC is owed more than $320-million on the three projects. Its $3.6-billion construction mortgage portfolio is managed by QuadReal Finance LP.
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“Halo and 33 Yorkville are more than likely to be cancelled completely,” as they have not yet begun substantial construction, said Ms. Lierman, who tracks progress on dozens of condo projects in the Greater Toronto Area. Clover, which owes $145.9-million to QuadReal, is nearly completed.
Ms. Lierman said that of Cresford’s four active sites, three are currently just excavations, and only one of those is not in receivership. “Three pits on or near Yonge Street in downtown Toronto that are going to be stagnant for whatever stage … that doesn’t look great for the industry.”