April 15, 2019 – A provincial court in Orangeville, Ont., has ordered Alexander Bonello, operating as Btek Renewable Energy Products from nearby Tottenham, to pay a $10,000 fine and a $2,500 victim surcharge for work he conducted without an electrical contractor’s licence and for failing to apply for an inspection.

Bonello was contracted to install a net metering project for solar panels at the Orangeville home of Tara Cohen and Milan Paynton. During the project, he cut through their garage wall, severing wiring that ran to a panel.

To prevent further damage and potential danger, Cohen and Paynton obtained a second opinion at their own expense and an inspection by Ontario’s Electrical Safety Authority (ESA). The couple learned the work was not up to code and would pose a serious electrical safety issue if energized.