Fraudulent Fuels Workers

Surya’s Story

The carbon monoxide leak incident at our multi-residential rental complex came to light when an ambulance was called by one of our tenants for an undisclosed emergency. Upon arrival, the ambulance attendant detected carbon monoxide in the building using a personal detection device and called the fire department. Fire department personnel arrived and went to the roof, where they found that carbon monoxide was leaking from the Make-Up Air unit. While stopping the leak, they had the tenants evacuate the building for a few hours until everything was under control. They provided buses where the tenants could stay warm while waiting.

The matter was directed to TSSA, which contacted the contractor responsible for working on our unit. The contractor informed TSSA that the person who had worked on our unit had forgotten to renew his gas technician certificate.

We had been dealing with this company for quite a long time, as they were also handling our plumbing and electrical work, in addition to our gas work. During this time, all the work they had carried out was done well. Hence, there was no need to verify certificates or renewals – plus, that is the responsibility of the company that hires the technicians to do the work. 

The contractor involved in the incident no longer works for us and hasn’t for a long time. We have another authorized company to handle our gas-fired Make-Up Air Units. We do realize that we should have verified the necessary credentials with the previous company. The carbon monoxide leak incident has taught us to be more careful in this kind of situation. I hope sharing this story will serve as a safety lesson to all.

Mary’s story

I had just bought a house, and while having it renovated, was staying at my parents’ house. My poor dad was in his 80s at the time, an Italian man, very frugal, always trying to save money. We used to joke and battle all the time because he would patch something up, and then have to do it again because he didn’t want to spend the money to do it right the first time.

I had a German Sheppard at the time who was always in the backyard, making it difficult for the gas guy to access and read the gas meter. So, while the plumber was working at my house, my dad asked him, “do you do gas?” and the plumber said “yes.” Unbeknownst to me, my dad hired the plumber from my place to move the gas meter from the back of my parents’ house to the front – consequently, running the gas line along the inside corners.    

I was expecting about $3,000 in rebates for energy savings during the renovation on my house, but when I applied for the grants, my application was rejected because the licence number provided by the plumber was invalid. This man had given me a fake licence number! When I confronted him, he said, “I’ll give you my friend’s number,” and I refused. He hadn’t been licensed to work on gas, plumbing or electrical, and he was not registered with TSSA. Needless to say, I lost the grant money.

Fast forward a few years, I rented out my house and decided to live with my parents permanently. I was determined to renovate my parents’ utility room and cover the exposed wires, gas lines and water lines with drywall so it would look nice and clean.

The first contractor that came out to my parents’ home to quote us didn’t even want to touch the area because, he said, it looked “like a dog’s breakfast.”  The second contractor came prepared to do the job but, in the process, called the gas company to shut off the gas.

It was really scary when the TSSA Inspector and Enbridge Gas Inc Supervisors came by and said, “do you realize this is a near miss?” We were told our gas could not be turned back on until all the deficiencies were rectified. It was only then that I understood the severity of this issue – a huge pipe had been pushing and squeezing pounds of gas directly into a smaller pipe inside of my parents’ home. I get the willies just thinking about it. I had visions of my family’s home blowing up. And my poor dad… he was so upset when the gas company Supervisor explained the severity of the situation and asked who had done the work. My dad didn’t want anyone to get into trouble and felt responsible – he just figured the plumber knew what he's doing…

Image 1: Gas leak on supply line         

Image 2: Inlet pressure going through the house                          

Marlene’s story

He quoted me $4,000 to install my air conditioning unit and furnace, and then he came and did the work. But I felt there was something wrong, you know? I didn’t know what, but I started having a bad feeling about him installing this.

When he claimed he was finished, I said, “well, these pipes over here aren’t hooked up,” so he said he would return to connect them. Meanwhile, I have two cats that would just sit there and stare at the furnace. Then, I started getting headaches, and when my friends would come to visit, they had the same symptoms.

I went through an entire winter with no heat. I could never get a hold of this man, couldn't talk to him. From what I understand now, the intake pipe which draws air from outside to pump inside of my house was not hooked up, so my furnace was only drawing air from the inside of my home and pumping the same air back in.

Thank you again to Fuels Inspector Mark and his colleagues at TSSA for helping me with the traumatic situation I was in. The support they provided in all of this will definitely help me to regain trust in people.

In my heart, I believe TSSA should put something in the newspapers so people know to be careful of whom they hire for fireplace maintenance and to ask for fully qualified technicians. It will also make consumers aware there are people like you that enforce rules, regulations and proper licencing to protect the people like me who didn't know the difference.

I will forever be grateful to Mark, TSSA and Enbridge gas company for saving my life!! 

In Ontario, a service provider must hold a Gas Technician 2 (G2) certificate—at a minimum—to perform work on gas-fired appliances unsupervised. At the time of the gas furnace activation, John held a G3 certificate, which is an entry-level Gas Technician certificate that allowed him to perform gas work only while supervised and prohibited him from activating gas appliances.

Shortly after speaking with the TSSA Fuels Safety Inspector and being issued orders for working without the necessary certification and registration, John passed his G2 examination and registered as a contractor. As a result of these steps, when John pleaded guilty to the offence before the Ontario Court, the Court considered the remedial action taken by John to be a significant mitigating factor during sentencing, and John received a minimal $2,000 fine.

* Name changed to protect the privacy of the individual involved