The Sooke Harbour House is once again changing hands, marking a new chapter in the long and tumultuous history of the property.
The listing for the Oceanfront Restaurant & Boutique Hotel from Colliers Canada included properties at 1528, 1529 and 1536 Whiffin Spit Road. These amount to 3.04 acres of oceanfront property, 28 guest rooms, a fine dining restaurant and lounge space.
Colliers Canada confirmed that the sale of the property closed July 24.
The sale comes less than one year after the Harbour House reopened its doors last year, under managing partner Andre St. Jacques. The property was purchased by AIG Enterprises in July 2020 for $5.6 million. Over $10 million was spent on renovations, which began in 2021 and were completed in 2024.
This is not the first time Harbour House has changed hands; in 2012, it was put up for sale for $5.9 million by the Philips family. After two years, they found Timothy Durkin, a potential buyer who claimed he intended to invest in the property. In 2020, the Philips family entered an extended legal battle with Durkin, who sued Frederique and Sinclair Philip for control of the business they founded in 1979.
However, in the end, it was the Philips who won the battle. In 2020 a B.C. Supreme Court judge awarded the pair more than $4 million for what was described as a 'six-year odyssey of lies, excuses, threats, intimidation and bullying' suffered at the hands of Durkin, who later had an additional $1.6 million penalty imposed on him for lying about ownership of the hotel to convince a Chinese citizen to invest in the property.
In 2023, a decision was made to deport Durkin from Canada for his involvement in organized crime, which involved a ponzi scheme he orchestrated in Alabama between 2009 and 2013. The decision was upheld in 2025, following an extensive dispute from Durkin.
The Harbour House was put up for sale for $5.63 million in April 2020 as part of a foreclosure sale ordered by the courts, and was later purchased by AIG Enterprises.
At one time, the hotel was one of the largest employers in Sooke and garnered international acclaim. In 2000, the New York Times called the Sooke Harbour House "one of Canada's half-dozen best restaurants."
Now, the building's future is once again uncertain as Colliers Canada searches for a new owner.
Colliers Canada and The Sooke Harbour House have not replied to requests for comment at this time.
