October 18, 2006

Backgrounder: McGuinty government modernizing consumer protection

The proposed Electricity Act reforms are part of the McGuinty government’s ongoing efforts to modernize consumer protection.

Earlier this year, the McGuinty government passed a regulation that requires all electrical contractors to be licensed by the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) in January 2007.  

This will allow the ESA to go after unlicensed contractors doing potentially unsafe work in people’s homes or businesses.  The proposed changes in this bill will give the ESA stronger enforcement powers to actively pursue individuals and businesses that falsely hold themselves out to be electrical contractors.  For those that continue to endanger the public, they could face fines up to $50,000 and/or up to one-year imprisonment; and for corporations up to $1 million.

If passed, the proposed legislation will also include the following enhanced electrical safety standards for ESA including:

• Providing authority for ESA to address the issue of unsafe electrical products by improving ESA’s ability to order a recall of unapproved or unsafe electrical product and enhanced powers to declare product unsafe and order it to be removed from store shelves, stopping their sale
• Enhancing access for ESA inspectors with respect to records
• Strengthening ESA’s enforcement capabilities by increasing the time limit to lay charges for an offence to two years from six months and
• Creating new streamlined powers for the issuance of Minister’s Regulations, Minister’s Orders and Director’s Orders.

History
The Ministry of Government Services is responsible for electrical safety under Part VIII of the Electricity Act, 1998.  Under the legislation, ESA is the body that regulates electrical safety matters.  The remainder and majority of the Act is the responsibility of the Ministry of Energy.          

Contacts:

Paul de Zara
Minister’s Office
Office: 416-327-3072
Cell: 647-388-9671 

Ciaran Ganley
Ministry of Government Services
416-325-8659