The Carpenter Bee Safety Policy
Carpenter Bee is a classified directory for Ontario construction, renovation and trades businesses. We are not a contracting agency, a verification service, or a referral broker. We do not vet, screen or guarantee the contractors who post listings here.
Hiring a contractor in Ontario is your decision and your responsibility. This page exists to help you make that decision wisely — by giving you the tools, questions and provincial resources you need to check a contractor for yourself, understand your rights under Ontario law, and recognize warning signs before you sign anything.
Read this page before contacting any contractor on our platform.
1. What Carpenter Bee is — and isn’t
We are a paid classified directory where Ontario contractors post listings about their business. We are not a general contractor, not an agency, not a referral service. We do not verify credentials, supervise work, hold payments, or guarantee outcomes. Listings reflect what contractors say about themselves — not facts we have confirmed.
2. You are responsible for your hiring decision
Whoever you hire from this platform — or anywhere else — is your choice. Carpenter Bee is not a party to your contract and assumes no responsibility for the work, the warranty, the safety, the quality, the timeline, or any disputes. You verify, you decide, you sign. Treat every listing the way you’d treat a classified ad in a newspaper.
3. How to check a contractor yourself
You can verify a contractor in minutes using free public resources. Search the Ontario Business Registry to confirm the business is real. Use WSIB’s online Clearance Certificate tool to confirm coverage. Check the BBB for complaint history. Google the business name plus “scam” or “reviews”. Ask the contractor for two recent client references and actually call them.
4. Licenses required by trade in Ontario
Electricians must hold an ESA Master Electrician License or Electrical Contractor License (LEL) — search the ESA website to confirm. Gas, HVAC and propane work requires TSSA certification. New home builders and major renovators must be Tarion-registered. For other trades there’s no provincial licensing — ask for business registration, WSIB clearance and a Certificate of Insurance directly.
5. Your rights under the Ontario Consumer Protection Act
Ontario law protects you regardless of which contractor you hire. You have a 10-day cooling-off period for direct agreements signed at home, a 1-year cancellation right for non-compliant contracts, and the right to a written contract for work over $50. Read the full Act on the Ontario government website before signing any major project.
6. Before you hire — your checklist
Get at least three written quotes. Ask for a current WSIB Clearance Certificate and a Certificate of Insurance ($2M+ recommended). Confirm who pulls municipal permits under the Ontario Building Code. Get scope, materials, timeline, payment schedule and warranty in writing. Never pay in full upfront — 10–30% deposit with progress payments is standard. Call references.
7. Red flags — walk away if you see these
Demands for full payment in cash upfront, a “cash discount” to avoid HST, e-transfer to a personal name, pressure to skip municipal permits or sign immediately, refusal to provide a written contract or proof of WSIB and insurance, door-to-door offers of “leftover materials” — these are classic Ontario contractor scams. Walk away, every time.
8. If something goes wrong — where to go
For serious problems contact the right Ontario authority directly: Consumer Protection Ontario for unfair business practices; ESA for unsafe electrical work; Tarion for new home warranty issues; TSSA for gas, HVAC, boilers; your municipality for permit violations; WSIB for uninsured workers; BBB for formal complaints; police for fraud. You can also leave an honest review on the contractor’s listing to warn other homeowners.
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