Unlicensed Contractor Ordered to Pay $25,000 for Unsafe, Illegal Electrical Work

Mar 4, 2019

The owner of an Ontario business providing construction and renovation services for residential and commercial customers recently pleaded guilty in Hamilton Provincial Offences Court for conducting unsafe electrical work without an electrical contractor’s licence. Leonard Sankar was ordered to pay a $25,000 fine plus a $6,250 victim fine surcharge for unlicensed work the company, MJ Construction, conducted at seven locations in Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville, Paris and the Township of Flamborough.

Sankar pleaded guilty to 13 charges in total, including multiple counts of working without an electrical contractor’s licence and not taking out an electrical permit. He also pleaded guilty to one count of unsafe electrical condition where a live wire was left hanging in the basement of a home. If someone had touched the exposed wires, they could have received a fatal shock.

Subsequent to charges being laid, but before the guilty plea, the company hired a licensed electrical contractor to go to all of the locations flagged by the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) so the electrical work could be corrected of any defects. This was done at most of the addresses and was done at the expense of MJ Construction.

This was not the first time MJ Construction had been cited for performing electrical work without an electrical contractor’s license. In June 2017, the company manager was convicted for failing to apply for inspection and for unsafe electrical conditions. Much of the electrical work the company did at the time was found to be non-compliant with the Ontario Electrical Safety Code; there were numerous defects in the electrical work.

“Illegal electrical work puts Ontario residents at serious risk of injury,” says Joel Moody, Chief Public Safety Officer, ESA. “Electrical work is hazardous and should be performed by a licensed electrical contractor with the expertise, equipment and training to do the job safely.”

“Electrical safety is a shared responsibility among contractors, homeowners and the public,” adds Normand Breton, Registrar and Director of Contractor Licensing, ESA. “We all need to do our part and comply with the Ontario Electrical Safety Code and the associated regulations. The laws for conducting electrical work in Ontario are very clear: any business that offers or performs electrical work must be licensed by ESA. Mr. Sankar broke the law and the conviction demonstrates how seriously we, and the courts, take such matters.”