How to Check an Ontario Contractor: WSIB, Insurance and ECRA/ESA

Before you sign, do three checks: search the company in the WSIB clearance tool, look up electrical contractors in the ESA Contractor Locator, and ask the company to have its broker send you a certificate of liability insurance. All three take minutes. Carpenter Bee does not do them for you: we are a classified directory, and listings are what contractors say about themselves.

1. WSIB clearance

A WSIB clearance is a number showing that a business is registered with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and is current on its premiums and reporting. In construction, WSIB policy is that both the person hiring and the contractor must have a valid clearance before work begins and while it continues.

You can check without an account through the WSIB quick-access clearance search at clearances.wsib.ca, using the business name, phone number or address.

• Some independent operators are exempt. WSIB states that a business that only does home repairs or renovations on private residences, hired and paid directly by the homeowner, does not need coverage. If that business hires an employee, the employee still needs coverage.
• Clearance is not a quality check. It says nothing about workmanship, liability insurance or trade licensing. It shows standing with WSIB and nothing more.

2. ECRA/ESA licence for electrical work

Electrical work in Ontario homes must be done by a licensed electrical contractor. The licence number looks like ECRA/ESA 7999999 and can be checked in the Electrical Safety Authority Contractor Locator at licensing.esasafe.com.

Licensed contractors are required to carry liability insurance and WSIB coverage, file notifications with ESA and work to the Ontario Electrical Safety Code. ESA notes that notification is required even for work as simple as installing pot lights, and warns that an insurance claim connected to work done by an unlicensed electrician may be denied.

3. Liability insurance

Ask for a certificate of insurance sent directly by the contractor’s broker, with your name on it, and check the policy dates and the coverage amount. A photo of an old certificate is not proof that a policy is still in force.

4. The paperwork that protects you

• A written contract with the scope, materials, price, start and finish dates, and a payment schedule tied to completed stages.
• Written change orders for anything added later.
• Confirmation of who applies for the building permit and books inspections.
• Copies of permits and inspection results at the end of the job.

Sources

• WSIB, Clearances FAQ and the quick-access clearance search – wsib.ca, clearances.wsib.ca
• WSIB, Clearance certificate in construction, operational policy in effect since 1 January 2020 – wsib.ca
• WSIB, Independent operators in construction – wsib.ca
• Electrical Safety Authority, Hiring an electrician or contractor, and the Contractor Locator tool – esasafe.com, licensing.esasafe.com