There is no shortage of crap builders in Alberta. The boom/bust cycle here means trades can be in super-short supply - so houses are put up by stoners that barely found their way to the job site, much less did a quality job. Then they slap some granite and other finishes on it and it's "premium" construction. Buy a house built during a boom period and you better go though it very, very carefully.
A close friend of mine is the CEO of a residential/commercial construction company. They bought out a project from another builder that overextended and had to walk away. He knew he was buying garbage, so that was factored into the deal with the bank - I went to see some of the houses - so much not even close to code. Not that it was "low end" it was unsafe.