Supreme Court ruling?

[howitt]

I was told by an instructor that there was a Supreme Court ruling made that said either gas furnace or A/c installers are now allowed to install wiring up to the panel. Is this true?

[Admin]

I'm not aware of any court rulings in Ontario.  The rules have always been a gas technician cannot install wiring to the panel, but an air conditioning / refrigeration mechanic can.

For Gas Technicians Ontario Regulation 215/12 Section 20 says,

7.   Install, repair, service and maintain electrical wiring from an existing branch circuit containing overcurrent protection to appliances in order to exchange, service, repair or install an approved appliance and carry out the replacement of electrical wiring necessary to complete the reconnection or installation of controls, control systems, components and accessories that are essential to the operation of the appliance, but the person shall not run wiring back to the electrical supply panel or perform any additional wiring unless he or she is the holder of a certificate of qualification in the trade of electrician — construction and maintenance or electrician — domestic and rural, that is not suspended and that is issued under the Ontario College of Trades and Apprenticeship Act, 2009.

For Air Conditioning and Refrigeration System Mechanics Ontario Regulation 75/05 was replaced by the Ontario College of Trades Residential Air Conditioning Systems Mechanic Apprenticeship Training Standard.  Section 3 says,

(1)  The performance of any of the following functions constitutes work that is part of the certified trade:
1. Plan, prepare and lay out the system.
2.  Install and start up the system and verify the operation and function of the system.
3.  Install and connect piping for the purpose of conveying  all types of refrigerant  used for both primary and secondary cooling.
4.  Maintain,  service,  repair  and  replace  system  components  and  accessories,  including  the electrical  and electronic components of the system.
5.  Service, test, adjust, commission  and decommission the system.
(2)  A person who holds a certificate of qualification as a refrigeration and air conditioning systems mechanic, and any other person authorized  under the Act to work as a refrigeration  and air conditioning systems mechanic, may perform the functions described in subsection (1) with respect to any cooling system or heating-cooling combination system that is installed and used in a residential, industrial, commercial or institutional setting.
(3)  A person who holds a certificate of qualification as a residential air conditioning systems mechanic, and any other person authorized under the Act to work as a residential air conditioning systems mechanic, may perform the functions described in subsection (I) only with respect to residential air conditioning systems that meet the following requirements:
1.  The system shall be installed as an independent unit in a residential family dwelling.
2.  The system shall operate  at no more than 240 volts single-phase  power  with a maximum  branch circuit capacity of 60 amps, a maximum cooling capacity of 60,000 British thermal units per hour and a saturated suction temperature above 2 degrees Celsius (35 degrees Fahrenheit)  in the cooling cycle