A Licensed Electrician (LEC), also known as a Licensed Electrical Contractor, is the only company, with few exceptions, in Ontario legally allowed to do electricity installation in a house. Qualified electricians work as Independent Contractors under a licensed contractor. If you choose to hire an Electrician, make sure that the Electrician that you are hiring is a Licensed Electrician.
Licensed electricians have received licenses to perform work and carry valid certifications. The Licence number or Certification is a special document issued to an individual or company, by the Ministry of Energy or Ministry of Environment, under the Electricity Safety Act. It lists all licensees under specific categories. For example, the Licensed Building Inspector has a license under the Building Inspectorate Act and the Licensed Land Surveyor is a licensed land surveyor under the Land Surveyor Act.
All Licensed Electricians carry a complete set of the following certifications: the National Code for Lighting and Fire Protection System, the National Electrical Code, the National Electric Code, the National Fire Protection Association, the Canadian Standard Code for Smoke Detectors and Fire Alarms, the National Plumbing Code, the American Society for Testing and Materials, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the Institute of Industrial Technology, the National Bureau of Standards, the National Fire Protection Association, and the National Society of Professional Electrical Constructors. All licensed electricians will also have passed the examination administered by the Electrical Safety Training Board, the Qualifications Test of the Canadian Plumbing Code, the Qualifications Test of the National Fire Protection Association, the National Plumbing Code Examination for Plumbers, and the Plumbing Code. Electricians that have been licensed for at least five years are called Registered Electricians. They will also have had their Licence Number on their business cards, on the official websites of the Ministry of Energy, and will have obtained the number from the Ministry of Energy.
If the Electrician that you are hiring is not a Licensed Electrician, you should contact the company directly to find out if they are Licensed. If they are not Licensed, you may wish to conduct a background check on them. The National Bureau of Standards and/or the Institute of Industrial Technology will be able to provide you with names of Licensed Electricians in the area in which you live. In case you are not satisfied with their services, you can contact the Office of the Director of Health and Safety, and the Ministry of Energy to report the issue of the license.
Make sure that the Electrician that you are hiring is licensed before you do any work. The Ontario government does not provide electricians without a license. If you do not know the license number, you should call the office of the director of Health and Safety or the Ministry of Energy to find out who they are. After you have found them, you will be able to contact them and request information on their licenses and qualifications.
As mentioned, the Licence number is a special document issued by the Ministry of Energy or Ministry of Environment to the electrician, and the Electrician’s company. The Licence number is the number to verify the Electrician’s status. When the Electrician is licensed, he or she will receive a letter from the Ministry of Energy or Ministry of Environment, stating that the Electrician is a Licensed Electrician. Make sure that you also obtain proof of the license number from the Electrician’s business card or their official website.