Bellavera condo developer speaks out to Global News

The man at the centre of the unsafe condo controversy in Leduc has broken his silence in an exclusive interview with Global Edmonton.

Kevyn Frederick owns up to his responsibility in the debacle that has left dozens of people without a place to live after being evicted over the safety of the building.

“I am here today to express my shame... sorrow... and utter dismay of the disaster which is Bellavera Green,” Frederick tells Global. “The devastation which has become Bellavera Green is completely and utterly my fault. As CEO of Bellavera Green, I take full and utter responsibility.”

The half-finished condo had numerous safety code violations and some condo owners may possibly file for bankruptcy.

“I had a formal contract with these owners... and I breached it. I have failed to meet the commitment to you. And I am deeply sorry once again, I say. I had a social contract with the community of Leduc and again I found that I failed.”

When asked if he would take financial responsibility, Frederick chose his words carefully.

“I believe that my culpability is moral, civil. So to answer your question, yes, I believe that I am liable and my company is liable.”

Frederick lost his composure a few times during the interview, saying he is humiliated and ashamed. He says a project like Bellavera can’t happen by one person alone, but as CEO he has to take responsibility.

“I dropped the ball. And I can not deflect responsibility on to partners, trades, procedures or anything. I am devastated. And we got to this point because of my own inability.”

Frederick says he has spent the last several weeks working on correcting the situation.

“My intention was never for this to happen. However, people don't judge you on your intentions, they judge you on your actions. So, my actions moving forward, as they always should have been,. I'll be in Edmonton, I'll be addressing this issue and I will not be concentrating on anything else until these residents are returned home.”

Frederick spoke to Global against the advice of his lawyer.

Here is the raw video of his entire interview:

We showed Frederick's apology to some of the Bellaverra tenants, many of whom say they'd been trying for days in vain to get ahold of the developer. When they finally saw what he had to say, many seemed genuinely shocked.

"Just the fact that he's actually willing to say it was me instead of doing the blame game, yeah, he's definitely working toward redeeming himself, that's for sure. I don't know if that's going to do it 100 percent. Just saying 'I'm sorry you're homeless, it's my fault,' you know... But it's a start," said renter Myles Kovatch.

Others, like Valerie Dean, think that while the apology seems genuine, it's missing some much-needed details.

"..to say 'I'm sorry, I take responsibility.' But what are you taking responsibility for? Are you going to give all these people their money back? Are you going to fix them having to go into bankruptcy? I mean that's going to go on their records," she said.

Frederick has told us he's willing to meet residents one-on-one to address their concerns, which is something they say they're eagerly awaiting.

Meanwhile, even though the developer says he is looking for solutions, residents of the Bellaverra Green have until the end of the month to move out.

With files from Ross Neitz, Global News