Summerside cottage contractor sentenced to house arrest for fraud

A contractor in Summerside, P.E.I., has been sentenced to 14 months of house arrest for fraud, after he failed to build cottages he was paid to build.

Brandon Lloyd Waite, 30, was sentenced in Summerside provincial court on Tuesday.

Waite pleaded guilty to one of three charges of fraud over $5,000, while the court stayed two other counts.

Waite took part in a restorative justice program, which had him meet with all his victims and speak with them about how his actions had affected them.

Summerside Provincial Court (Laura Meader/CBC)

Unique approach to restorative justice

In court, Crown attorney Chad McQuaid described the restorative justice process as a unique approach, and said it had helped Waite gain a better recognition of the harms he had done.

McQuaid said Waite was "positive and engaged" in discussions, and that his victims were sympathetic that he had been going through a difficult time at the time he took money from them.

It's estimated Waite took about $140,000 from his victims. The court heard agreements were reached to pay his victims pack, either in cash or volunteer time.

Victims include non-profit group

Lawyers read out an agreed statement of facts in court, which said Waite was the sole owner of a the Cottage Company, and that he had signed a number of contracts in 2021 and early 2022.

His victims included two couples, as well as Community Inclusions, a West Prince, P.E.I., charity for adults with intellectual disabilities.

Waites's guilty plea was for a contact he signed with a Nova Scotia couple who bought a cottage on P.E.I. They lost their $50,000 down payment.

The 30-year-old contractor was unable to work after a 2022 injury, the court heard, which played a role in his behaviour. He is now employed full time, and can do carpentry work.

When provincial court judge Krista MacKay asked Waite if he wanted to say anything in court, he declined.

His 14-month house arrest comes with a number of conditions, including that he may leave for approved reasons such as work, appointments and volunteering related to the restorative justice agreements he made with his victims.

Once his sentence is completed, he will also serve three years' probation.