I have worked with the Ontario Fire Marshal in the past and I did not get any impression whatsoever they are out to get anyone. In fact, it has been my experience that they are reluctant to assign cause, and especially blame, unless they are absolutely sure of the cause. And only assign "blame" or charges against clear cases of affirmative negligence or deliberately and knowingly flouting the Fire Code etc.
Now in this case, if the Church hired a kijiji handyman to do electrical work more than changing fixtures and they knew that they should have hired an electrician and taken out a permit for wiring or new circuits.. that is another kettle of fish.
The ESA HATES and charges the fuck out of handymen and general contractors who do their own electrical work that needs a permit. Big fines too!
Check this page out to see how active they are enforcing and convicting these Kijiji/Kash Kontractors!
An Administrative Penalty is a monetary penalty that can be imposed on individuals who fail to comply with certain provisions of the Electricity Act,…
esasafe.com
This ONE basement renovator got fined over $12,000 for various infractions!
Between May 1 and August 31 of 2022, 1071034 Ontario
Limited (“Corporation”) was hired by consumers to renovate the basement of the residential property located at 4 Tulip Tree Road, Niagara-on-the-Lake (“Property”).
The Corporation installed:
o pot lights;
o wiring for an electric fireplace;
o heated flooring in a bathroom; and
o some switches.
After the Corporation completed the work, the ESA received an anonymous complaint alleging that a non- LEC had performed electrical work at the Property.
Upon investigation, the ESA discovered that the
Corporation had:
o completed the electrical work without an electrical contractor’s license;
o failed to file a Notification of Work; and
o concealed the electrical work after completion
without having been inspected.
An LEC was hired by Warren Mechanical to complete the electrical work and repair infractions.