Electricians near you

Each province sets its own rules, and they are stricter than for most renovation trades. In Quebec, electrical work done for someone else must be carried out by a contractor holding the appropriate licence, and the Corporation des maîtres électriciens du Québec (CMEQ) qualifies those contractors on behalf of the government, which is why Quebecers talk about hiring a maître électricien. In Ontario, the only business you can hire for electrical work in your home is a Licensed Electrical Contractor, and the work must be reported to the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) through a notification filed before it starts.

Ontario homeowners may do electrical work in their own home, but ESA requires them to file that same notification. In British Columbia, both licensed contractors and homeowners installing electrical equipment need an electrical installation permit, issued by Technical Safety BC or, in cities such as Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey and Victoria, by the local government. Other provinces and territories have their own authority, often a technical safety agency or the local utility, and several of them issue electrical permits only to licensed or registered contractors.

Inspection timing matters. ESA notes that an installation has to be inspected before it is concealed or buried, so rough-in wiring is checked before insulation and drywall go up, and a final inspection follows. When the work passes in Ontario, ESA issues a Certificate of Acceptance to whoever filed the notification; keep a copy, since ESA describes it as an important document for insurance and resale.

Knob-and-tube is the oldest household wiring you are likely to find: individual conductors strung through ceramic knobs and tubes in the walls and attic, with no ground wire. ESA considers it safe provided it is properly maintained by a Licensed Electrical Contractor, but points out that these older systems don't have the safety benefits of modern ones. ESA recommends having a licensed contractor assess it; they check the conductors for deterioration or damage, including damage left by past renovations, and may recommend replacing the wiring.

Aluminium branch wiring may be present in homes built between the mid-1960s and the late 1970s, according to ESA. The wire itself isn't the concern: ESA says it is safe when connections and terminations are made properly without damaging the wire. That puts the focus on the connections at outlets, switches and splices, especially any that were changed over the years, so work on these circuits should go to an electrician who knows the techniques aluminium requires.

Both kinds of wiring can affect your insurance. ESA notes that many insurers will not provide or renew coverage on homes with knob-and-tube, and that some will not insure homes with aluminium wiring without an ESA inspection, which may lead to repairs or replacement and a copy of the Certificate of Acceptance. Ask your insurer what it needs before you buy or renew, and get the electrician's assessment in writing.

Most projects begin with a site visit. The electrician looks at the panel and the service, traces the circuits involved and, in an older home, checks what kind of wiring sits behind the walls before pricing anything. The written proposal should describe the scope, say who takes out the permit or files the notification, and explain how any walls or ceilings opened for the work will be left.

On work day, expect the power to be off in part of the house, and sometimes all of it, while circuits are connected at the panel. New cables are run and roughed in, and on larger jobs the inspector visits before anything is closed up. Devices, fixtures and cover plates go in afterwards, each circuit is tested, and the panel directory is updated so every breaker is labelled with what it feeds.

Before you settle the final invoice, ask for proof that the work was declared and inspected wherever your province requires it, such as ESA's Certificate of Acceptance in Ontario, and file it with your house records for your insurer and a future buyer.

Titles vary across the country. The person pulling wire is usually a certified journeyperson or a registered apprentice, while the business you sign with is an electrical contractor holding a provincial licence or registration. Both matter, and each province offers a public way to check the contractor before you sign.