THE UNION LEADER, THE NUMBERED COMPANY AND THE $4 MILLION HOUSE
A stately 4,400-square-foot house sits on a winding street in Nobleton, Ont., in an enclave of sprawling homes nestled into the farm country north of Toronto.
This five-bedroom, five-bathroom property has a nicely landscaped outdoor pool. Its three-car garage has gas heating and a one-car lift. The dining room features a marble floor and a built-in Miele wine fridge.
The property last changed hands on Nov. 11, 2022, for $4.015-million. The buyer was a numbered company, incorporated just days before the deal.
An investigation by The Globe and Mail has found that the owner of the numbered company that bought the property was the Carpenters’ Regional Council (CRC), one of Canada’s largest construction unions, headquartered in nearby Vaughan, Ont.
And for two years, from Nov. 11, 2022, to Nov. 31, 2024, the house was used by the union’s then newly appointed top leader, executive secretary-treasurer Jason Rowe, and his spouse, Stacey Rowe, who has also served as a union official.
In this picture from Premier Doug Ford's Facebook page, Jason Rowe speaks at a campaign event. Under Mr. Rowe’s leadership, the Carpenters’ Regional Council union endorsed Mr. Ford and his PC Party for the first time, just before the 2025 provincial election.Supplied
Until recently, the house – which is still owned by the union – was on the market again, listed at $3.75-million. According to a handout from the seller’s real estate agents, it had undergone $290,000 in renovations, including the installation of an Arctic Spa hot tub and a “state-of-the-art gym” with mirrored walls and a built-in television. Selling at that price, the union would have seen a loss of more than $500,000. But it is no longer listed for sale. And as of last month, the property had been rented out, according to the real estate website Zolo.
Corporate records show that the directors of the numbered company at the time of the purchase were Mr. Rowe, his spouse, then known as Stacey Kerr, and Mark Lewis, a lawyer who was then the union’s general counsel and chief of staff. (He died in 2023.) Property records show that Mr. Rowe acted for the numbered company on the purchase.
A source with knowledge of the union’s decision-making said neither the purchase of the house nor its intended purpose was disclosed to the union’s executive board or brought to it for approval at the time of the purchase. Nor was the purchase of the house or its purpose disclosed to dues-paying members, the source said.
The Globe is not naming the source because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the union’s internal matters.
The union says the house was needed, on a short-term basis, for Mr. Rowe, who lived in Manitoba before being brought in to lead a restructuring of the Ontario-based organization. Mr. Rowe did not make himself available for an interview.
A source with knowledge of the union’s decision making said neither the purchase of the house nor its intended purpose were disclosed to the union’s executive board or brought to it for approval at the time of the purchase.Sammy Kogan/The Globe and Mail
Despite repeated questioning by The Globe, the union’s leadership never directly answered whether or not its executive board voted to approve the purchase.
An e-mailed statement, sent by spokesman Finn Johnson, said the decision “was disclosed to members of our executive board” and “approved through our established governance processes, including oversight under the organization’s bylaws.”
Union president Tom Cardinal − who was on the executive at the time − said in a previous e-mail that “members of the CRC Executive review the financials including all CRC assets on a monthly basis” and that the financials and assets are reported twice a year “to all delegates at delegate conventions as per CRC by-laws.”
However, the union did not respond to a request to provide the documents or more details about what precisely was disclosed, and when.
The union, which says it has 60,000 members across about 30 locals in Ontario and Western Canada, oversees hundreds of millions of dollars in pension funds. It has also received millions of dollars from the federal and provincial governments for its worker-training centres. Last December, Ottawa awarded close to $20-million for the council and another affiliated branch of the carpenters’ union for training programs.
The Carpenters’ Regional Council also took in $27-million last year from Ontario’s Skills Development Fund, a program that opposition leaders say has favoured organizations with connections to the Progressive Conservative government.
Under Mr. Rowe’s leadership, the union endorsed Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his PC Party for the first time, just before the 2025 provincial election. In pictures posted on the Premier’s Facebook page from a February, 2025, campaign event marking the endorsement, Mr. Ford can be seen shaking Mr. Rowe’s hand and applauding as he speaks to union members in front of signs bearing the Premier’s “Canada Is Not For Sale” election slogan.
Addressing questions about the union’s use of taxpayer funds, Mr. Cardinal said in an e-mailed statement that government money for training, including grants from Ontario’s Skills Development Fund, is distinct from the union’s other cash. This money, he said, is collected from both employers and union members as stipulated in collective agreements and is kept completely separate from members’ dues and other union funds. The union also said in a subsequent statement that the Ontario skills funding is held in a trust and administered by trustees.
Asked for comment, Michel Figueredo, a spokesman for Ontario Labour Minister David Piccini, said the Skills Development Fund has measures in place to ensure taxpayer money is spent only on training.
“Every agreement includes strict financial controls, including third-party audits, risk assessments, verification of organizational capacity, detailed reporting and on-site monitoring to ensure funds are used as intended,” he said in an e-mail.
The purchase of the home was carried out while the union was under what is known as a trusteeship, imposed by its U.S. parent, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners.
Mr. Ford shakes hands with Mr. Rowe at a February, 2025, campaign event. The picture was posted on the Premier's Facebook page.Supplied
The move left control of the Ontario arm in the hands of Mr. Rowe, who is also the Canadian district vice-president for the U.S.-based international union, and a small group of appointed trustees. The union also named an executive board.
According to a disclosure document on the trusteeship that the international was required to file with the U.S. Department of Labour, the U.S. parent imposed the trusteeship on its Ontario-based wing in April, 2022, to “correct corruption or financial malpractice.”
The document provides no details of any allegations or what was done to address them. The Carpenters’ Regional Council did not answer The Globe’s questions about why the union was put under a trusteeship. The international parent union did not respond to e-mailed questions.
The trusteeship did see the union go through a restructuring process. The changes united various affiliates from Ontario to Western Canada under one umbrella, with its new name. (It was formerly known as the Carpenters’ District Council of Ontario.)
According to financial information filed by the U.S. parent union with that country’s Internal Revenue Service, Mr. Rowe made US$352,531 in total compensation in 2024 for his role as the U.S. union’s Canadian district vice-president, including his retirement plan and unspecified non-taxable benefits.
Some of The Globe’s inquiries about the house prompted varied answers.
When first questioned about Mr. Rowe’s use of the house via e-mail, Mr. Cardinal responded that it “was not purchased for the use of any one person.”
The Globe then presented the union with details from public financial records that showed Mr. Rowe had used the house as his home address when leasing a vehicle.
Mr. Cardinal responded in an e-mailed statement that Mr. Rowe, who is from Manitoba, had lived in the house while he was “stewarding the trusteeship” of the union. Mr. Cardinal said the house purchase was “considered to be a better investment than rent or lease.”
A statement sent later by Mr. Johnson on behalf of the U.S. union’s Canadian district also said the property was “part of a market indexed compensation arrangement.”
Mr. Cardinal had at first asserted that the house had been purchased by the union-owned Carpenters’ Regional Council Building Corp. Asked why property records showed the purchaser as the numbered company, he replied that the union owned the numbered company.
In December, 2023, the same numbered company behind the house purchase bought a commercial building that had housed a Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealership in Vaughan for $38.89-million, which would become a new training centre for the union. The numbered company’s directors have since been changed.
Property records also show that ownership of the house was transferred to the Carpenters’ Regional Council Building Corp. for $0 in May, 2024. Mr. Cardinal did not answer a question asking for the reason for the transfer.
In a recent e-mailed statement from Mr. Johnson, the union said the house was “acquired as part of a broader strategy to strengthen the organization’s long-term financial position” but was “also used as a short-term, employer-provided residence.”
Since then, “the property transitioned to its current function as an income-generating asset.”
“We continue to actively review” the house, the statement says, “along with all organizational assets, to ensure they are managed prudently, transparently, and in the best interests of our members.”
With research from Stephanie Chambers
TORONTO — The Carpenters’ Union in Ontario has undergone organizational and leadership changes over the past year including a new name and territory for its primary council.
The former Carpenters’ District Council of Ontario (CDCO) is now the Carpenters’ Regional Council (CRC), reflecting the council’s new jurisdiction from Ontario to British Columbia.
Finn Johnson, director of communications and co-director of government relations for the new CRC, outlined the changes in a recent email. The head of the CRC is Jason Rowe, whose title is executive secretary-treasurer. Rowe also holds the position of vice-president of UBC Canadian District. Both the position of president and the position of chief of staff for the CRC are held by Tom Cardinal.
Cardinal formerly held the role of vice-president of the CDCO when Mike Yorke was its president.
Yorke retired in the spring and Mark Lewis, general counsel and chief of staff with the CDCO, passed away in July.
The CRC represents members of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners.
2024 FORM 990
UNION HOUSE PURCHASE SPARKS SCRUTINY OVER LEADERSHIP AND USE OF MEMBER FUNDS
By Ebenezer Adu-Gyamfi / Emmanuel Ayiku | Reporting for Ghanaian News Canada April 22, 2026
A stately 4,400-square-foot house sits on a winding street in Nobleton, Ont., in an enclave of sprawling homes nestled into the farm country north of Toronto.
This five-bedroom, five-bathroom property has a nicely landscaped outdoor pool. Its three-car garage has gas heating and a one-car lift. The dining room features a marble floor and a built-in Miele wine fridge........