Tarion established 1976 under the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act; not-for-profit administrative authority, not a Crown agency
Claim: Tarion Warranty Corporation was created in 1976 to administer Ontario's new-home warranty program. Its governing statute is the Ontario New Home Warranties Plan Act (ONHWPA, R.S.O. 1990, c. O.31), proclaimed into force in September 1976. Tarion is a not-for-profit corporation under the Corporations Act, not a Crown agency. It is an "administrative authority" delegated by Ontario under the Safety and Consumer Statutes Administration Act and the ONHWPA, financed entirely by builder enrolment/registration fees plus investment income — it takes no public funds.
Sources:
- Ontario.ca Cunningham Interim Report: https://www.ontario.ca/document/interim-progress-report-review-ontario-new-home-warranties-plan-act
- Tarion governing documents page
Confidence: Verified.
Governance (post-2019 reforms): 12-member board, Minister appoints four; five-member Nominations Committee (two ministerial appointees). Directors serve three-year terms with a nine-year cap. Industry representation capped at no more than one-third of directors after the November 27, 2019 Minister's Order — see Tarion 2019 Auditor General Special Audit (Bonnie Lysyk) — 65% of conciliations found builder at fault, 9,700 dismissed for missed deadlines (1,300 by 1 day), OHBA "disproportionate influence".
Reports to: Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery (formerly Government and Consumer Services) under an Administrative Agreement. Same Ministry oversees HCRA.
Why this matters for Candid: When clients ask "is Tarion the government?" the answer is no — it's a delegated administrative authority. That distinction matters when explaining why Tarion was found to favour industry in the 2019 AG audit, and why the Cunningham Review (Cunningham Review (2017) recommended multi-provider warranty insurance and mandatory owner-built warranty — Ontario adopted the HCRA split but kept Tarion as sole administrator) recommended structural reform.