{"id":621104,"date":"2026-04-22T13:32:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T13:32:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/621104\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T13:32:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T13:32:13","slug":"the-union-leader-the-numbered-company-and-the-4-million-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/621104\/","title":{"rendered":"The union leader, the numbered company and the $4-million house"},"content":{"rendered":"

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74 Mactaggart Drive in Nobleton, Ont., on December 4.Sammy Kogan\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n

A stately 4,400-square-foot house sits on a winding street in Nobleton, Ont., in an enclave of sprawling homes nestled into the farm country north of Toronto. <\/p>\n

This five-bedroom, five-bathroom property has a nicely landscaped outdoor pool. Its three-car garage has gas heating and a one-car lift. The dining room features a marble floor and a built-in Miele wine fridge. <\/p>\n

The property last changed hands on Nov. 11, 2022, for $4.015-million. The buyer was a numbered company, incorporated just days before the deal.<\/p>\n

An investigation by The Globe and Mail has found that the owner of the numbered company that bought the property was the Carpenters\u2019 Regional Council (CRC), one of Canada\u2019s largest construction unions, headquartered in nearby Vaughan, Ont. <\/p>\n

And for two years, from Nov. 11, 2022, to Nov. 31, 2024, the house was used by the union\u2019s then newly appointed top leader, executive secretary-treasurer Jason Rowe, and his spouse, Stacey Rowe, who has also served as a union official.<\/p>\n

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In this picture from Premier Doug Ford’s Facebook page, Jason Rowe speaks at a campaign event. Under Mr. Rowe\u2019s leadership, the Carpenters\u2019 Regional Council union endorsed Mr. Ford and his PC Party for the first time, just before the 2025 provincial election.Supplied<\/p>\n

Until recently, the house \u2013 which is still owned by the union \u2013 was on the market again, listed at $3.75-million. According to a handout from the seller\u2019s real estate agents, it had undergone $290,000 in renovations, including the installation of an Arctic Spa hot tub and a \u201cstate-of-the-art gym\u201d with mirrored walls and a built-in television. Selling at that price, the union would have seen a loss of more than $500,000. But it is no longer listed for sale. And as of last month, the property had been rented out, according to the real estate website Zolo. <\/p>\n

Corporate records show that the directors of the numbered company at the time of the purchase were Mr. Rowe, his spouse, then known as Stacey Kerr, and Mark Lewis, a lawyer who was then the union\u2019s general counsel and chief of staff. (He died in 2023.) Property records show that Mr. Rowe acted for the numbered company on the purchase.<\/p>\n

A source with knowledge of the union\u2019s decision-making said neither the purchase of the house nor its intended purpose was disclosed to the union\u2019s executive board or brought to it for approval at the time of the purchase. Nor was the purchase of the house or its purpose disclosed to dues-paying members, the source said. <\/p>\n

The Globe is not naming the source because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the union\u2019s internal matters. <\/p>\n

The union says the house was needed, on a short-term basis, for Mr. Rowe, who lived in Manitoba before being brought in to lead a restructuring of the Ontario-based organization. Mr. Rowe did not make himself available for an interview. <\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

A source with knowledge of the union\u2019s decision making said neither the purchase of the house nor its intended purpose were disclosed to the union\u2019s executive board or brought to it for approval at the time of the purchase.Sammy Kogan\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n

Despite repeated questioning by The Globe, the union\u2019s leadership never directly answered whether or not its executive board voted to approve the purchase.<\/p>\n

An e-mailed statement, sent by spokesman Finn Johnson, said the decision \u201cwas disclosed to members of our executive board\u201d and \u201capproved through our established governance processes, including oversight under the organization\u2019s bylaws.\u201d<\/p>\n

Union president Tom Cardinal \u2212 who was on the executive at the time \u2212 said in a previous e-mail that \u201cmembers of the CRC Executive review the financials including all CRC assets on a monthly basis\u201d and that the financials and assets are reported twice a year \u201cto all delegates at delegate conventions as per CRC by-laws.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, the union did not respond to a request to provide the documents or more details about what precisely was disclosed, and when.<\/p>\n

The union, which says it has 60,000 members across about 30 locals in Ontario and Western Canada, oversees hundreds of millions of dollars in pension funds. It has also received millions of dollars from the federal and provincial governments for its worker-training centres. Last December, Ottawa awarded close to $20-million for the council and another affiliated branch of the carpenters\u2019 union for training programs. <\/p>\n

The Carpenters\u2019 Regional Council also took in $27-million last year from Ontario\u2019s Skills Development Fund, a program that opposition leaders say has favoured organizations with connections to the Progressive Conservative government.<\/p>\n

Ontario sues company in Skills Development Fund controversy for millions in damages<\/a><\/p>\n

Under Mr. Rowe\u2019s leadership, the union endorsed Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his PC Party for the first time, just before the 2025 provincial election. In pictures posted on the Premier\u2019s Facebook page from a February, 2025, campaign event marking the endorsement, Mr. Ford can be seen shaking Mr. Rowe\u2019s hand and applauding as he speaks to union members in front of signs bearing the Premier\u2019s \u201cCanada Is Not For Sale\u201d election slogan.<\/p>\n

Addressing questions about the union\u2019s use of taxpayer funds, Mr. Cardinal said in an e-mailed statement that government money for training, including grants from Ontario\u2019s Skills Development Fund, is distinct from the union\u2019s other cash. This money, he said, is collected from both employers and union members as stipulated in collective agreements and is kept completely separate from members\u2019 dues and other union funds. The union also said in a subsequent statement that the Ontario skills funding is held in a trust and administered by trustees.<\/p>\n

Asked for comment, Michel Figueredo, a spokesman for Ontario Labour Minister David Piccini, said the Skills Development Fund has measures in place to ensure taxpayer money is spent only on training.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery agreement includes strict financial controls, including third-party audits, risk assessments, verification of organizational capacity, detailed reporting and on-site monitoring to ensure funds are used as intended,\u201d he said in an e-mail.<\/p>\n

The purchase of the home was carried out while the union was under what is known as a trusteeship, imposed by its U.S. parent, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners.<\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

In a picture posted on the Premier’s Facebook page from a February, 2025, campaign event, Mr. Ford can be seen shaking Mr. Rowe\u2019s hand.Supplied<\/p>\n

The move left control of the Ontario arm in the hands of Mr. Rowe, who is also the Canadian district vice-president for the U.S.-based international union, and a small group of appointed trustees. The union also named an executive board.<\/p>\n

According to a disclosure document on the trusteeship that the international was required to file with the U.S. Department of Labour, the U.S. parent imposed the trusteeship on its Ontario-based wing in April, 2022, to \u201ccorrect corruption or financial malpractice.\u201d <\/p>\n

The document provides no details of any allegations or what was done to address them. The Carpenters\u2019 Regional Council did not answer The Globe\u2019s questions about why the union was put under a trusteeship. The international parent union did not respond to e-mailed questions.<\/p>\n

The trusteeship did see the union go through a restructuring process. The changes united various affiliates from Ontario to Western Canada under one umbrella, with its new name. (It was formerly known as the Carpenters\u2019 District Council of Ontario.) <\/p>\n

According to financial information filed by the U.S. parent union with that country\u2019s Internal Revenue Service, Mr. Rowe made US$352,531 in total compensation in 2024 for his role as the U.S. union\u2019s Canadian district vice-president, including his retirement plan and unspecified non-taxable benefits. <\/p>\n

Ontario to introduce bill exempting Premier, cabinet from FOI requests<\/a><\/p>\n

Some of The Globe\u2019s inquiries about the house prompted varied answers. <\/p>\n

When first questioned about Mr. Rowe\u2019s use of the house via e-mail, Mr. Cardinal responded that it \u201cwas not purchased for the use of any one person.\u201d <\/p>\n

The Globe then presented the union with details from public financial records that showed Mr. Rowe had used the house as his home address when leasing a vehicle. <\/p>\n

Mr. Cardinal responded in an e-mailed statement that Mr. Rowe, who is from Manitoba, had lived in the house while he was \u201cstewarding the trusteeship\u201d of the union. Mr. Cardinal said the house purchase was \u201cconsidered to be a better investment than rent or lease.\u201d <\/p>\n

A statement sent later by Mr. Johnson on behalf of the U.S. union\u2019s Canadian district also said the property was \u201cpart of a market indexed compensation arrangement.\u201d <\/p>\n

Mr. Cardinal had at first asserted that the house had been purchased by the union-owned Carpenters\u2019 Regional Council Building Corp. Asked why property records showed the purchaser as the numbered company, he replied that the union owned the numbered company.<\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

A source with knowledge of the union\u2019s decision making said neither the purchase of the house nor its intended purpose were disclosed to the union\u2019s executive board or brought to it for approval at the time of the purchase.Sammy Kogan\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n

In December, 2023, the same numbered company behind the house purchase bought a commercial building that had housed a Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealership in Vaughan for $38.89-million, which would become a new training centre for the union. The numbered company\u2019s directors have since been changed.<\/p>\n

Property records also show that ownership of the house was transferred to the Carpenters\u2019 Regional Council Building Corp. for $0 in May, 2024. Mr. Cardinal did not answer a question asking for the reason for the transfer. <\/p>\n

In a recent e-mailed statement from Mr. Johnson, the union said the house was \u201cacquired as part of a broader strategy to strengthen the organization\u2019s long-term financial position\u201d but was \u201calso used as a short-term, employer-provided residence.\u201d <\/p>\n

Since then, \u201cthe property transitioned to its current function as an income-generating asset.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe continue to actively review\u201d the house, the statement says, \u201calong with all organizational assets, to ensure they are managed prudently, transparently, and in the best interests of our members.\u201d <\/p>\n

With research from Stephanie Chambers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: 74 Mactaggart Drive in Nobleton, Ont., on December 4.Sammy Kogan\/The Globe and Mail…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":621105,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[901,888,902,879,877,903,49,48,876,895,896,891,878,875,46,549,295,894,887,914,880,881,893,889,890,884,904,885,909,910,44,912,907,911,905,908,882,898,899,714,897,906,865,61,900,892,886,883,913],"class_list":{"0":"post-621104","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-canada","8":"tag-alberta","9":"tag-arts-news","10":"tag-bc","11":"tag-breaking-news","12":"tag-breaking-news-video","13":"tag-british-columbia","14":"tag-ca","15":"tag-canada","16":"tag-canada-news","17":"tag-canada-sports","18":"tag-canada-sports-news","19":"tag-canada-trafficcanada-weather","20":"tag-canadian-breaking-news","21":"tag-canadian-news","22":"tag-economy","23":"tag-education","24":"tag-environment","25":"tag-federal-government","26":"tag-foreign-news","27":"tag-globe-and-mail","28":"tag-globe-and-mail-breaking-news","29":"tag-globe-and-mail-canada-news","30":"tag-government","31":"tag-life-news","32":"tag-lifestyle","33":"tag-local-news","34":"tag-manitoba","35":"tag-national-news","36":"tag-new-brunswick","37":"tag-newfoundland-and-labrador","38":"tag-news","39":"tag-northwest-territories","40":"tag-nova-scotia","41":"tag-nunavut","42":"tag-ontario","43":"tag-pei","44":"tag-photos","45":"tag-political-news","46":"tag-political-opinion","47":"tag-politics","48":"tag-politics-news","49":"tag-quebec","50":"tag-sports-news","51":"tag-technology","52":"tag-travel","53":"tag-trudeau","54":"tag-us-news","55":"tag-world-news","56":"tag-yukon"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/621104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=621104"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/621104\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/621105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=621104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=621104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=621104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}