By Trevor Greenway
Chelsea resident Dennis Walker has been charged with 14 counts of fraud after seven people and one company allege that he defrauded them out of thousands of dollars worth of windows and doors.
Walker, the owner of Vue Fiberglass Windows, was arrested in 2023 and will face a criminal trial next January. He’s facing three counts of fraud over $5,000, three counts of possession of illegal funds over $5,000, four counts of fraud under $5,000 and four counts of possession of illegal funds under $5,000.
In court documents, Ottawa Police allege that Walker defrauded Robyn Lalonde, Christian Lafleur, Edward Norminton, Gad Perry, Richard Cyr, June Hutcheon and the company PBC Sweetnam Holdings Inc. between 2021 and 2024 “by deceit, falsehood or other fraudulent means.”
“We are a group of people that represent over $60,000 worth of fraud and theft,” Lafleur told the Low Down.
According to Lafleur, he hired Walker in October 2022 to install several new windows at his Ottawa home. Walker had requested a $4,000 deposit to order the windows, which was paid in full, said Lafleur, adding that Walker told him that the windows would be installed before Christmas.
“He sent me an invoice, and I sent him the money. And after that, the nightmare started,” said Lafleur.
After sending the deposit, Lafleur said it was “excuse after excuse,” as Walker kept delaying the work. He said Walker requested another certified cheque for the remaining cost of the windows and installation, but Lafleur refused to pay him any more.
By December 2023, more than a year after hiring Walker, Lafleur said his windows had still not been installed. At this point Lafleur said he requested his money back, but Walker refused. By publishing date, Lafleur’s windows had yet to be installed, and he alleges that he is out $4,000.
Lafleur said he then went online and began investigating Walker’s past work. He said that, after finding multiple bad reviews, he began reaching out to Walker’s former customers and encouraged them to file police reports. Six, including Lafleur and property management company PBC Sweetnam Holdings Inc., came forward to police.
In a sit-down interview with the Low Down on June 13, Walker said he is the victim in the case and alleges that Lafleur has been “recruiting” several other customers to smear his name and scam him into getting free windows.
“I’m the one being scammed,” Walker said. “This guy is actively recruiting my former customers to call the police. I’ve never had this happen in 27 years of business.”
According to Walker, he was worried that Lafleur would not pay him in full. He alleges that Lafleur’s brother had under $1,000 in outstanding invoices from a previous job with Walker’s company that he had refused to pay. Walker said he was skeptical the rest of the money would come through.
“I confronted [Lafleur] and said, ‘I heard a few things about you. I would feel a lot more comfortable if you sent me a picture of a certified cheque or a bank draft, and I will deliver your windows,’” said Walker, referring to his conversation with Lafleur.
But Walker said Lafleur refused to pay more until the work was done.
His trip through the legal system starts in January and a judge will decide his fate.
As for the other customers alleging fraud, Walker said that many of the window orders, while delayed, were set to be filled and completed. He explained that a fire at his workshop in 2022 significantly delayed him, as it took him a full year to rebuild. He said that after these customers filed official complaints with the police, he was ordered not to communicate with them and couldn’t finish their jobs.
“We fell 68 jobs behind at that time,” he said. “My biggest problem is slow delivery, okay. I’m guilty of being slow, guilty of being too nice to people, that’s my biggest problem. I’m too nice to people, and I get screwed. If I’m slow, is that a crime?”
Walker, whose company also does work in the Gatineau Hills, has volunteered at local sports organizations, including rugby at St. Mike’s High School in Low and wrestling in Chelsea. He said that the past two years of dealing with the fraud charges have been “massively detrimental” to his business and his life.
“Since this guy started scamming me, I’m probably out about $300,000,” said Walker, adding that he lost a government contract after CTV ran a story about the alleged fraud a year ago.
Walker submitted an application to file a lawsuit against Lafleur on June 16 at the Gatineau courthouse. Walker alleges that Lafleur’s comments in a CTV news story in 2022 defamed him and led to lost revenue and damage to his reputation. Walker is seeking $95,000 in damages. It’s unclear whether or not the lawsuit has been accepted.
“The defamation has been extreme,” Walker wrote in his court application.