'Outright fraud': This Saskatoon builder left a trail of customers who say they paid and got nothing

A group of customers say they’ve lost hundreds of thousands of dollars after dealing with the Saskatoon-based Prairie Timber Group Ltd.

What began as a simple order for a bunkhouse has led to nearly four years of headaches according to Yvonne Kildaw.

Kildaw said she came across Prairie Timber Group and its owner Jason Pacik through an ad on Facebook in the summer of 2020.

Based on the reasonable price and a recommendation from a friend, Kildaw says she reached out and visited the cabin builder – then located in Saskatoon’s Corman Park.

"We went and looked at it, he had a couple of samples out there," she explained. "[It was a] great, big, powerful presentation. It was quite impressive."

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Satisfied with what she saw, Kildaw told CTV News she agreed to a down payment of $3,510 on her order for a bunkhouse.

It didn’t take long for the red flags to appear.

“We gave him the deposit. He cashed it the next day and then we weren't hearing from him,” she said. “To make a long story short, it never was being built at all. It never started. We didn't get it. We were given a million reasons why it wasn't being built.”

After months of trying to get her money back — Kildaw turned her efforts to warning others away from the business and its owner.

She says her efforts led her to a community of disgruntled customers across western Canada, united in their shared experience with Pacik and his multiple businesses.

A completed bunkhouse sits inside the Prairie Timber Group Ltd facility in Saskatoon's Corman Park. (Courtesy: Ken and Wendy McGonigal)

'Very heartbreaking'

Curtis Lozinski was another unlucky customer. He says he lost $6,000 after his bunkhouse was never delivered.

Like Kildaw, he says his down payment was quickly cashed and Pacik became increasingly difficult to contact.

“I wrote my check at about 7:30 that night and it was deposited through an ATM at about 9 – 9:45,” he explained.

Several weeks after handing over his deposit, Lozinski said he hadn’t heard any updates on the progress.

“We talked a bit on the phone a couple of times and he ghosted me for two or three months and then he emailed me for money — [an] extra $2000,” he said. “So I emailed him back and said ‘No, I want to see my building.’”

Around six months after his project was supposed to begin, Lozinski says he attempted to surprise Pacik at his business. Prairie Timber Group was nowhere to be found.

Lozinski said workers at the complex where Prairie Timber Group was located told him that the business had left months earlier after apparently failing to pay rent.

“I mean, I looked the guy right in the eye. It was very heartbreaking to see that he actually just took my $6,000 check, deposited it and did nothing,” he said.

“I said ‘ah man’ and that's where it was left.”

That was until Lozinski’s children got into contact with Kildaw’s group.

A notice posted at Prairie Timber Group Ltd in late 2020 outlines the termination of the company's lease. (Courtesy: Ken and Wendy McGonigal)

'Every excuse'

Of the customers who spoke with CTV News, Ken and Wendy McGonigal appear to have suffered the greatest financial loss. They say they gave Prairie Timber Group around $99,000 for a cabin project that ultimately went nowhere.

Much like Kildaw and Lozinski, the couple said they knew someone who was using the business and were reassured after meeting with Pacik.

“He needed 25 per cent down for material and then I believe a couple weeks after we gave him another 25 per cent for materials and so that he could begin,” Wendy said.

“It seemed quite reputable.”

The couple said they hired Pacik to build the cabin during the summer of 2020, following a long period of consultation.

After completing some of the project themselves, the couple left on holidays for the summer. They both claim Pacik promised them that work on their cabin would be ramping up while they were away.

They soon discovered nothing was being done and were forced to return home.

“By July we knew there was problem. He wouldn't return phone calls. He had every excuse in the book,” Wendy recalled.

“Someone's in the hospital. He’s not well. Men are quitting or whatever. The whole nine yards.”

Ken and Wendy McGonigal's cabin project. They claim Prairie Timber Group failed to complete any work on the cabin and were forced to hire a second contractor. (Courtesy: Ken and Wendy McGonigal)

The retired couple continues to worry about the effect the $99,000 loss will have on their lives going forward.

“There's sleepless nights,” Wendy explained. “There's you just agonizing over what we should have done. What we could have done. [And] what is there that we can still do?”

CTV News attempted to contact Jason Pacik over the course of several months for this story. Inquiries were made by email and by phone to several businesses Pacik has allegedly been involved with.

CTV News visited and delivered a written notice to the mailing address of Prairie Timber Group Ltd in mid-June.

As of the date of publishing, CTV News has not received a response.

Criminal or Civil?

Several members of Kildaw’s group have filed reports with the Saskatchewan RCMP, but nearly four years later, there is little to show in the way of progress.

According to Ken McGonigal, there is debate on whether the case is civil or criminal in nature.

“I don't know how they can say it wasn't criminal,” Ken said. “When you add everybody up, there's hundreds of thousands of dollars here that this man has ripped people off.”

It’s a sentiment Lozinski shares.

“How can he just keep doing this to people and defrauding them?” he asked. “Mine is over $5,000, so that's a criminal charge. You don't need the Crown to come and say charge the guy — that's over $5,000. The cops should go and put the cuffs on the man.”

Kildaw said she reached out to the Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority of Saskatchewan (FCAA). The organization deferred to the RCMP, which has failed to make progress on the investigation.

“The RCMP haven't been able to give this a lot of time,” she said. “They say that they’re busy and that it sort of comes down to buyer beware.”

“Well it's outright fraud.”

In a statement to CTV News, an RCMP spokesperson said the service could neither confirm nor deny if Prairie Timber Group or Pacik himself was being investigated for any alleged fraud.

“Existence of investigations of any sort will usually be acknowledged if or when charges are laid,” the statement read.

The FCAA provided a similar answer when asked if it could confirm if it had received complaints regarding Pacik or Prairie Timber Group Ltd.

“It is the FCAA’s policy not to disclose information concerning the number and nature of submitted complaints against specific businesses or persons,” the response read.

The organization went on to explain that the Consumer Protection and Business Practices Act prohibits a supplier from engaging in “unfair business practices which includes doing or saying anything that may mislead or deceive a consumer in a transaction involving goods or services.”

“Consumers who suspect they may be the victims of a criminal offence, including fraud, are encouraged to contact their local police service and obtain independent legal advice to determine what options are available to them,” the response concluded.

Corporate registry documents for Prairie Timber Group Ltd show it was incorporated in 2018. Jason David Pacik is listed as the company’s director.

According to the documents, the company is currently categorized as “inactive” or “struck off.”

A pattern

Allegations of fraud against Pacik and Prairie Timber Group are not limited to just Saskatoon – with members of Kildaw’s group hailing from as far away as British Columbia.

More than a dozen victims claim they were defrauded by businesses owned by Pacik. Company names listed in the accusations include PTH Escape, Rustic Prairie Products, Backwood Cabins, Cabin Hub, Two7 and Modaframe.

All told, members of Kildaw’s group claim they have collectively lost more than $300,000.

“He has like seven different construction companies under his name,” Lozinski explained. “It's a huge chunk of pie that this man has walked away with and he’s getting away with it.”

According to Kildaw, after working primarily on platforms such as Facebook and Kijiji, Pacik has moved to creating sites using GoDaddy — with a phone number or email as the sole means of contact.

“He stopped doing that because so many people were intervening,” she explained. “He [would] post on Facebook and then somebody sends a private message and says, ‘No, don’t do it.”

With ads no longer being shared on social media, Kildaw says it’s become harder to warn others.

“Call or text, it's that direct contact, same thing with GoDaddy,” she said. “So if I see something and I know that it's him, I can't do anything if the people are contacting him.”

Protecting yourself

CTV News spoke with Better Business Bureau (BBB) spokesperson Stefanie Lasuik, who outlined several ways consumers can identify scams and avoid losing money.

Several tell tale signs of a potential scam are high pressure sales tactics, cash only deals, hand shake deals with no contracts or documentation and high upfront deposits.

“So if you're dealing with an organization and you see any of these things laid out right away, feel free to walk away,” she explained. “It's always better to be safe than sorry.”

According to Lasuik, scams of all forms rose by 30 per cent last year across Canada.

“It's more important than ever that consumers are going to bbb.org and just searching the organization that they might be dealing with,” she said.

“So if this does happen to you, come to us. We can try to help you resolve it, but also make a report to scam tracker so that you can help other people avoid the same.”

Prairie Timber Group was not BBB accredited. The only mention of the business on the BBB’s website is now in the form of complaints — all centering on incomplete work and lack of reimbursement.

A warning to others

Kildaw hopes that the act of going public will bring attention to the businesses and the man behind them.

She says their primary goal is to keep other potential customers from losing money.

"If there would be something being done about this, then people wouldn't continue to be losing money to the point that its life changing," Kildaw said.

"It’s not acceptable for anyone. And to be able to continue with it, that makes me shake my head."