June 11, 2013 – On May 29, 2013, an unlicensed contractor was convicted in a Sudbury, Ont., court of charges related to performing electrical work illegally and failing to apply for an inspection.

George St. Louis, a sub-contractor working in Chelmsford, was found guilty on one count of performing electrical work without an electrical contractor’s licence and one count of failing to apply for an inspection. St. Louis was sub-contracted by a siding company to replace siding and windows. In the course of the installation, he moved some light fixtures and an electrical outlet.

The total fine was $4000 for the violations, plus a $1000 victim impact surcharge. Under Ontario Regulation 570/05, Licensing of Electrical Contractors and Master Electricians, only licensed electrical contractors are permitted to contract to perform electrical work in Ontario.

“Unfortunately, there are individuals that are prepared to do electrical work when they don’t hold the appropriate licence, and they don’t follow the rules and regulations,” said Doug Crawford, the Electrical Safety Authority’s (ESA’s) chief public safety officer.

ESA reminds consumers of the requirement to ensure that anyone you hire to perform electrical work has a valid ECRA/ESA electrical contractor licence.