B.C. Women's Hospital is hiring a new contractor to finish installing a specialized skylight in the building's entrance after a North Vancouver contractor previously convicted of defrauding his customers failed to finish the job.

Don Nelsen, who operates Skylights Only, was awarded a $60,000 contract to replace the skylight in March of this year, after being recommended by another contractor.

The province awarded the contract without competing bids, because the job was under $75,000, said Laurie Dawkins, spokeswoman for the provincial health service authority.

Nelson was paid an $18,000 advance in May after removing the old skylight. But he never completed the job.

"We were checking in regularly and our calls weren't being returned," said Dawkins.

When the contract was awarded, the hospital was apparently unaware that Nelsen had been convicted of five fraud offences in 2007 for bilking 10 customers out of more than $34,000.

In all of those cases, Nelsen was paid deposits for work that was never completed. Typically after he had the deposit, Nelsen would disappear. In some cases, he told people the skylights had been ordered, or were at a warehouse that didn't exist.

Contacted this week, however, Nelsen told the North Shore News the unfinished contract at Women's Hospital is a big misunderstanding and that he'd like to finish the job.

Nelsen said he even plans to offer to finish the contract for the hospital for free.

Nelsen said the delay in completing the contract was caused by a disagreement over exactly what materials should be used to put in the huge skylight -- which covers 1,600 square feet. Nelsen said he had concerns that putting the skylight in the way he was asked to could result in it buckling under heavy snow. "That's the only issue here," he said.

At the time Nelson previously pled guilty to fraud, the RCMP put out a warning about him.

Two companies operated by Nelsen, Skylights Only and Canadian Skylight Inc., have also both received an "F" rating by the Better Business Bureau for failing to respond to complaints.

Nelson acknowledged he's run into problems with his business before. He declared bankruptcy following his fraud convictions and still faces lawsuits from some of his previous customers.

But Nelsen said he didn't set out not to finish the hospital contract. "It's a great project for me to complete," he said. "There's never been an underlying evil that I'm intending to rip off (Women and Children's) Hospital. That would be insane."

Nelsen said he's completed thousands of jobs in his 30 years in the business. "Every once in a while, someone's not going to be happy."

Dawkins said the hospital is now reviewing quotes from other contractors and is confident the skylight work will be completed.