June 25, 2014 – An unlicensed individual—Martin Laprade—pleaded guilty June 9, 2014, to two counts of performing electrical work without an electrical contractor’s licence, and one count of leaving an unsafe condition. He has been convicted and fined $18,750 for illegal electrical work done in several schools and two residential sites in the Ottawa, Kingston and Pembroke areas of Ontario.

“The conviction of Mr. Laprade is the final in a series of convictions of a group of individuals working in concert outside of the law,” said Normand Breton, general manager, Harm Mitigation, with Ontario’s Electrical Safety Authority (ESA). “Through the course of our investigation, we discovered significant electrical hazards at one school that could have seriously injured or killed someone, or caused a fire.”

This conviction follows two recent and related convictions.

Only licensed electrical contractors are permitted to contract to perform electrical work in Ontario under Ontario Regulation 570/05, Licensing of Electrical Contractors and Master Electricians.

ESA is responsible for administering specific regulations related to the Ontario Electrical Safety Code, the licensing of electrical contractors and master electricians, electricity distribution system safety, and electrical product safety.