Well, thanks to ESA inventiveness in creating new ways of extracting money from the regulated subjects, we are not merely electricians anymore. Today ESA proudly calls us a licensed electrical contractor, a licensed master electrician, and a licensed electrician. Three in one!
In order to work as a self-employed residential electrician we must now obtain three licenses, one from OCOT and two from ESA. And we have to pay thousands of dollars to the money extracting geniuses.Nowadays we pay huge amounts just for the right to work as a mundane house electrician. We still do exactly the same basic rudimentary work dealing with simple wires, breakers, switches and lights as say, 15 years ago. The only difference is, today electricians pay about 30 fold greater amounts for two more unnecessary licenses. Plus we have to deal with other expenses, hurdles, wasted time, delays, and red tape associated with them.
It gets even more interesting and weird because ESA allows clueless homeowners to do the identical electrical work in their homes without a single license!
So in order to do the same work an experienced self-employed residential electrician must have three licenses and a clueless homeowner needs none!
Is this a nightmarish or genius invention to extort money from us?
It looks like there are two parasitic regulators, each with such a noble single priority of public safety on paper. And with the greatest appetite, creativity, authority, and ability to get other people's money in real life. ESA collects unnecessary fees while operating strictly under cover of the law.
These fees feel like a fraud, smell like abuse of power, and taste like legalized crime. What would you call it?
Ontario College of Trades and Electrical Safety Authority, roll-back licensing fees that ESA increased by 3000 percent or so on July 1, 2006 and then OCOT jacked its fee up by 500% or so on January 1, 2013.
Why must I have three licenses and thousands hours of hands-on experience in order to work as a self-employed residential electrician in Ontario?
Why do I need to pay for three licenses to work as a self-employed home electrician in Ontario?
And why does a clueless homeowner need no license and no experience to do the same work?
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Ask the ESA these or any other questions via email ESA.Cambridge@electricalsafety.on.ca
Ask your MPP.
Email the Minister directly Ms. Lisa M Thompson. Or visit web site of the Minister of Government and Consumer Services, who is accountable for the ESA activities.
Or do you have your own story of abuse, neglect, unfair treatment, overcharge, etc. to share publicly? Join us in a class action if you think they are parasites and sue them together with us!
When a bunch of abused folks speaks out, nothing happens.
If there are hundred or thousand of us, we will prevail and restore the justice, common sense, and fairness!
