TV celebrity contractor Mike Holmes has posted a public statement on Facebook about the importance of electrical safety and investigating contractors which may have done unsafe work.
The comments came one day after a CBC investigative report found a Holmes-endorsed company, AGM Renovations, is facing accusations of shoddy construction, including unsafe electrical work.
“Electrical safety is essential and is an immovable red line for my team and associations,” Holmes wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday.
The CBC’s Marketplace also reported on Holmes’ endorsement of AGM last week as part of a wider investigation into celebrity-backed home projects.
For years, Holmes has endorsed the Ontario-based renovation company in numerous slick ads, with glowing statements such as, “Don’t risk just hiring any contractor: Trust AGM.”
But after the CBC found AGM is under investigation by Ontario’s Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) following electrical safety violations, an AGM webpage embedded on Holmes’ Make It Right website disappeared.
AGM video ads featuring Holmes have also been pulled from the internet.
Holmes’ company, The Holmes Group, did not respond to multiple requests for comment about AGM’s electrical issues and the ESA investigation.
But Holmes’ Facebook comments appear to suggest he suspended ties with AGM due to the investigation.
When companies he works with don’t appear to be following the rules, he stated, he has “a protocol that is immediately implemented whereby all association is suspended until all investigations and assessments are complete.”
Holmes also said: “We know the actions enacting this possible suspension will become public, and may be used to portray us negatively, but we stand by taking immediate actions.”
Holmes further stated he supports “the process and procedures for investigating any potential electrical issues by the ESA.”
Since 2021, The Holmes Group, has been in a paid partnership with the ESA. In online videos, Holmes talks about electrical safety, such as the importance of getting a work permit and hiring a licensed electrician.
‘A fire hazard’
CBC News had interviewed two families who said Holmes’ endorsement influenced their decision to choose AGM Renovations for housing projects — a decision they each say they regret.
Both customers complained of shoddy work by AGM, including electrical problems.
In each case, AGM did not get a required permit for the electrical work. In one of the cases, involving the Cartier family in Barrie, Ont., the company did not use a licensed electrician, according to documentation viewed by CBC. The Cartiers hired a licensed electrician to redo the work who stated in his report that “the non-compliant electrical installations found are a fire hazard.”
“We were furious, very angry. It’s our home, it’s where our kids sleep,” said Eric Cartier. “We trusted AGM to do it right and leave the home safe.”
A Mike Holmes-endorsed renovation company is under investigation by the Electrical Safety Authority for unsafe work, and when CBC News started asking questions about AGM Renovations, ads featuring the celebrity contractor disappeared.
AGM denies any wrongdoing and said it has no record of an investigation by the ESA. The company did not respond to a question about using unlicensed electricians.
When asked about its current relationship with Holmes, AGM’s director of operations, Evaldi Balla, stated in an email that the relationship “is in a transition phase” as AGM works through a “brand refresh.”
At the end of his Facebook post, Holmes said, “I will continue to be who I am and will continue to make every effort to help others.”
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