39% of Canadians Say Contractor Protection Is Failing: What the Nanos Poll Means for Renovation Hiring

A Nanos Research poll released in July 2026 found that 39.1% of Canadians believe governments are doing a poor to very poor job protecting homeowners from unethical or fraudulent contractors. Only 5.2% said governments are doing a good to very good job. The remaining half of respondents landed somewhere in the middle or weren't sure, which suggests that most Canadians can't confidently describe what the system is supposed to do in the first place.

The overwhelming majority of residential contractors in Canada are licensed, insured, and doing honest work. The dissatisfaction captured by the Nanos poll points less at contractors themselves and more at a regulatory framework that was built for a different era and hasn't kept up with how homeowners actually find, hire, and pay for renovation work today.

Nanos Poll Results: 39.1% Rate Government Contractor Protection as Poor

The Nanos poll, conducted exclusively for CTV News, asked Canadians to rate how well governments protect consumers from unethical or fraudulent contractors. The results broke down as follows: 15.3% said "very poor," 23.8% said "poor," 4.8% said "good," and only 1.4% said "very good." The largest group, more than half of respondents, either said "average" or were unsure.

Toronto Police Service data gives that dissatisfaction some context. Detective David Coffey of the Financial Crimes unit told CTV that his office received approximately 150 renovation scam reports in 2026 so far, with new reports arriving daily. That figure only captures cases that clear the threshold for a police report. The actual number of homeowners who paid for work that wasn't completed, or wasn't completed to spec, is considerably higher.

The cases highlighted in the CTV investigation illustrate the pattern. One Brampton homeowner lost $28,000 after paying a contractor upfront for materials that never arrived and work that never started. A Mississauga couple paid $85,000 for a basement renovation: the contractor gutted the space, then vanished after receiving payment. In both cases, police had to determine whether the situation constituted criminal fraud (requiring proof of intent to deceive) or a civil matter. That distinction is where many homeowners find their options narrow considerably.

Provincial Consumer Protection Rules for Home Renovation in Canada

Consumer protection for home renovations in Canada is provincial, and the rules vary more than most people realize.

In Alberta, any business that takes payment before completing work is classified as a "prepaid contractor" under the Consumer Protection Act and must hold a licence from Service Alberta. Homeowners who sign a contract at their home or at a location other than the contractor's place of business have a 10-day cooling-off period to cancel without penalty. These are meaningful protections, but they depend on the homeowner knowing they exist.

Ontario has a similar 10-day cancellation window for direct agreements, which covers contracts signed at your home. Written contracts are required for any renovation work over $50, and they must include the scope, cost, timeline, and a statement of your cancellation rights. Quebec requires a similar written contract and provides a cooling-off period for door-to-door sales.

These protections exist, but they're fragmented across provinces, they're reactive (they only help after something goes wrong), and they place the burden of enforcement on the homeowner. If a contractor walks off a job in Alberta, Service Alberta can investigate and potentially suspend their licence. Getting your money back, though, still typically requires civil action.

Kevin Lee, CEO of the Canadian Home Builders' Association, told CTV that homeowners should check references thoroughly, obtain multiple bids, use itemized contracts, and establish payment schedules tied to work completion. That's sound advice. The harder question is whether most homeowners have a framework for actually doing those things in a structured, consistent way, rather than improvising their way through each step.

Why Consumer Protection Doesn't Cover Scope, Quotes, or Payment Schedules

The Nanos poll numbers point to something more specific than general dissatisfaction with government. They point to a gap between what regulation covers and what homeowners actually need during the contractor hiring process.

Provincial consumer protection laws are designed to give you recourse after a problem occurs. They're useful: cooling-off periods, licensing requirements, and complaint mechanisms all matter. But they don't help you write a scope document that ensures three contractors are quoting on the same project. They don't help you evaluate whether a payment schedule is reasonable or front-loaded. They don't tell you what questions to ask about insurance, WCB coverage, or warranty terms before you sign anything.

That gap is where most renovation problems start, well before anything goes wrong on the job site. A homeowner says "renovate my kitchen," and different contractors hear different projects. Without a written scope, there's no shared definition of the work. Without a structured way to compare quotes line by line, the lowest number wins, even if it excludes demolition, permits, or finishing. Without a defined payment schedule, a contractor who asks for 50% upfront doesn't look unusual if you've never been told what a reasonable schedule looks like.

The CHBA advises homeowners to ensure that renovation contracts define who hires and pays subcontractors and who is responsible for ensuring work is completed properly. That level of contract specificity is standard in commercial construction, where procurement-grade scoping and structured bid comparison are baseline practices. Residential renovation has no equivalent standard, and that's where homeowners are most exposed.

How a Written Scope and Structured Bid Process Fill the Regulatory Gap

The protections that the Nanos poll respondents are looking for already exist in commercial construction and procurement. They just haven't been translated into a format that works for a homeowner renovating a kitchen or finishing a basement.

A structured renovation process covers the territory that regulation doesn't. It starts with a written scope: a document that pins down dimensions, materials, finishes, and site conditions before any contractor is contacted. It includes a method for comparing quotes on equal terms, so you can see where one bid includes base preparation and another doesn't. It establishes a payment schedule tied to completed milestones, not calendar dates. And it creates a paper trail that makes provincial consumer protection mechanisms much easier to invoke if anything does go wrong.

Service Alberta's guidance already recommends getting estimates in writing and understanding your cancellation rights. The CHBA already advises checking references, reviewing contracts carefully, and ensuring your renovator is insured. The data from the Nanos poll suggests that most Canadians know these things matter but don't have a consistent way to put them into practice.

The 39.1% of Canadians who told Nanos that governments are failing at contractor protection aren't wrong about the gap. They're describing a real absence of structure in the residential renovation process. More regulation would help, and so would giving homeowners the same procurement discipline that protects a commercial project: define the scope, standardize the bid format, tie payment to performance, and document everything. The regulatory framework provides recourse after the fact. A structured process reduces the chance you'll need it.

---

Sources

Source	Data Referenced
Nanos Research / CTV News	Nanos poll results: 39.1% poor/very poor, 5.2% good/very good; case studies (Brampton $28K loss, Mississauga $85K loss); Toronto Police 150 renovation scam reports in 2026; Det. David Coffey quotes; Kevin Lee (CHBA CEO) recommendations
Service Alberta — Prepaid Contracting	Alberta Consumer Protection Act: prepaid contractor licensing requirement, 10-day cooling-off period for contracts signed outside contractor's place of business, cancellation and refund procedures
Alberta.ca — Hiring a Contractor	Alberta government guidance on written estimates, contract requirements, and consumer complaint process (1-877-427-4088)
Ontario.ca — Your Rights When Starting Home Renovations	Ontario Consumer Protection Act: 10-day cancellation window for direct agreements, written contract requirements for work over $50, required disclosures
CHBA — Before Starting a Renovation	Canadian Home Builders' Association: contract should define subcontractor responsibilities, completion accountability, insurance verification, and reference-checking guidance

---

This article is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. buy better does not provide price quotes, cost benchmarks, or contractor recommendations. Consumer protection laws vary by province and are subject to change. Consult Service Alberta, your provincial consumer protection office, or a qualified lawyer for advice specific to your situation.