Support my family, devastated by contractor fraud -$85K loan

My humble and hardworking parents, Cristabel and Gino Carletti, have dedicated their lives to building a stable life in Canada. Their dream was to create a legal basement apartment in their Mississauga home, providing a much-needed second income for their retirement. But that dream, and their financial security, has been shattered by a ruthless act of contractor fraud that has now made headlines.

As reported by CTV News Toronto and other media, my parents hired Basilica Construction last spring. They paid the company a staggering $85,000 through a loan with Financeit, expecting their basement renovation to be completed within two months. Instead, Basilica Construction gutted their already finished basement, destroying what was once a livable space, and then just vanished, leaving the work unfinished and my parents' basement in ruins. The company is now listed as "permanently closed," and leaves a trail of abandoned projects and devastated homeowners, including trusting immigrant families like my parents, in its wake.

This isn't just "bad luck"; it's a catastrophic breach of contract that has left my parents in a financial nightmare. They are now stuck with an $85,000 loan they must repay to Financeit for work that was never completed, and never will be by the company paid, and a demolished basement that they cannot afford to fix.

"We are paying for something we didn’t get," my dad, Gino, told CTV News.

After decades of hard work and sacrifice, instead of enjoying the stability they earned, they are facing overwhelming financial strain and deep emotional distress. They are not ones to ask for help, but I see that this situation is far beyond what they can handle alone. They desperately need to rebuild their basement and their lives, but they are now saddled with a massive debt for nothing.

To our friends, family and wider community: every contribution, no matter how small, will directly help them pay off this debt, repair major damage to their home, and help them feel less alone in this mess.

Please consider donating if you can or even just sharing their story to warn others. Your support means the world to our family as we fight to recover from this devastating injustice.

You can read more about their story in this consumer alert by CTV's Pat Foran: https://www.ctvnews.ca/toronto/consumer-alert/article/ontario-family-says-company-doing-their-basement-renovation-took-85000-and-never-finished-the-work/