Skip to content

Volunteers, donations rescue family during time of uncertainty

Corbeil family getting help to complete home construction after the original contractor fails, money runs out
20201025 Barbara Fisher  son Al corbeil home project
Barbara Fisher and her son Al outside their Corbeil home. Dave Dale/BayToday.

Barbara Fisher was devastated after learning the person entrusted to build her home was in over his head and there wasn’t enough money left to finish it.

It was early September and the temperature dropped below zero a couple of times, an ominous sign of a cold, bleak winter.

“I really didn’t know what I was going to do, I was getting really stressed out about it,” Barbara, 63, said about the ordeal she and her son, Al, 38, were facing. “A million things were going through my head, of disaster.”

Residents of East Ferris on Taillefer Road for 34 years, Fisher and her sons kept mostly to themselves. Her other boy lives mostly in group homes due to mental health and development issues.

“We don’t know anybody around here,” she said.

A family friend for about 20 years, the so-called carpenter they entrusted didn’t know what he was doing by all accounts. The limited budget for the 1,100-square-foot structure plus attached garage and basement was “chewed away” by unproductive project management.

Fortunately, a concerned neighbour contacted John and Madeline Bos of Industrial Cladding located a bit further down Taillefer Road east of the Fisher property.

Madeline said they had been approached to price a metal roof earlier in the year and noticed there wasn’t much happening at the site.

“They weren’t progressing too fast,” she said, describing how John and their son-in-law Spencer went over to check it out.

“This person that they hired wasn’t producing for them, more or less taking advantage of their situation. So a neighbour of them approached us and asked us to take a look, they thought something not right was going on there.

“Sure enough, there were things not being done right,” she said.

They offered to put one of their carpenters on the job to get things moving but Barbara told them after week two they only had enough money for a couple more weeks of labour.

“They were going to have to shut down construction of the home because she ran out of money … because of the situation,” she said, adding that John said they were going to “lose everything they put into it” if they didn’t close it in and make sure it was heated for winter.

Barbara said they’d been saving for 10 years to replace the dilapidated home they had since coming to Corbeil. Water leaked into the basement the whole time. They came here, she said, because an uncle lived in the area and their reality in southern Ontario was much worse.

Al said they are disappointed in their friend who told them he had more than 50 homes under his work belt.

“He told me he was capable, he had built 55 homes and nobody ever disputed what he said,” Al lamented with Barbara not wanting to name the person or how much money was wasted.

“He let us think we had enough … the house would be up and closed in,” Al said, adding they understood it wasn’t going to be completely finished inside. “We knew we’d have to worry about the drywall, flooring, and trim and stuff in the next couple of years.”

Knowing the Fishers were basically camping out in sheds and had nowhere to go with winter coming fast, Madeline decided to tap into their network of businesses in the construction and building industry to see if something could be done.

It didn’t take long to find willing partners in a charitable effort, she said, even though nobody knew the Fishers. Insulation, concrete, electrical and plumbing, as well as kitchen and bathroom amenities were offered, along with a load of gravel, and a garage door. Some of the 30-odd contributions were donations, including a bit of cash, while others offered rebates and at-cost discounts. Crews of volunteers came around day after day.

“It’s so encouraging, everybody is coming together to help them,” Madeline said. BayToday asked for a list of all the businesses helping out to give them credit but after calling for permission the key contributors were not interested in publicity for their charitable contributions.

“Everybody is just thankful they are able to help. It’s just so amazing how everything is coming together,” she said, noting with pride how East Ferris is willing to lend a hand and how North Bay businesses are contributing as well.

“It shows the community coming together,” she said, the entire exercise offering an extra special feeling considering how the COVID-19 pandemic has brought so many negative realities this year.

It’s now looking like, if things continue in a positive way, they may have it ready before the deep freezes hit in January.

“I don’t know if we’ll have the full house done for them but we’ll have the outside done (closed in for winter),” Madeline said. “We’re hoping they’ll be in by Christmas to the point it will be fully insulated and water running.”

Barbara and Al are very grateful for all the help they’ve received.

“It’s really overwhelming and very much appreciated,” she said. “I can’t believe it is people who don’t even know us who are helping.

“I would like to thank every one of them a thousand times over for helping put this house together for us,” Barbara said with Al adding: “It’s totally … mind-blowing to tell you the truth. Like I told my mom, we might not be in for Christmas but we’ll be having Christmas in the house.”

Editorial Note: If you're not sure of your home builder's credentials, there is a North Bay and District Home Builders Association membership list with the provincial body to consult as one reference.


Dave Dale

About the Author: Dave Dale

Dave Dale is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who covers the communities along the Highway 17 corridor Mattawa to West Nipissing. He is based out of BayToday
Read more

Reader Feedback