Regulation - Minister

Proposed Amendments to the Electrical Safety Code regulation (O. Reg. 164/99) under Part VIII of the Electricity Act, 1998

Regulation Number(s):
Ontario Regulation 164/99
Instrument Type:
Regulation - Minister
Bill or Act:
Electricity Act, 1998
Summary of Decision:
The Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement approved the regulatory amendment to adopt the 2024 Ontario Electrical Safety Code, which comes into effect on May 1, 2025.
Analysis of Regulatory Impact:
This proposal to amend the Electrical Safety Code regulation (O. Reg. 164/99) under Part VIII of the Electricity Act, 1998 is expected to result in minimal administrative costs to businesses, however a RIA will be conducted by the ministry in collaboration with the ESA.
Further Information:
Proposal Number:
24-MPBSD005
Posting Date:
April 3, 2024
Summary of Proposal:
The Electrical Safety Code regulation (O. Reg. 164/99) under Part VIII of the Electricity Act, 1998 provides for the adoption of the Canadian Electrical Code (CEC) together with Ontario specific amendments, as the Ontario Electrical Safety Code (OESC). The CEC is amended every three years by the Canadian Standards Association, which requires the OESC to also be updated. If approved, the Electrical Safety Code regulation would be amended to adopt the updated OESC.

Ontario adopts the CEC as one part of the OESC. All Canadian provinces adopt the CEC as the basis for their provincial electrical safety codes, which may include province specific amendments.

The other part of the OESC is the Ontario-specific amendments to the CEC, which consist of a series of provincial technical and administrative rules. The OESC sets the minimum safety standards for safe electrical installations, products, and equipment in Ontario. Regular updates to the OESC are necessary to reflect changes in technologies and respond to electrical incident trends.

The Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) is a delegated administrative authority responsible for administering Part VIII of the Electricity Act, 1998, and its regulations on behalf of the Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and the government. It is responsible for improving public electrical safety in the province, including administering the OESC.

The ESA is consulting on the Ontario specific amendments from February 29 to May 3, 2024.

To review the proposed amendments and provide your feedback, please refer to ESA's website: https://esasafe.com/public-consultations/

Privacy Statement

Please note that unless agreed otherwise by the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery, all submissions received from organizations in response to this consultation will be considered public information and may be used and disclosed by the ministry to assist the ministry in evaluating and revising its proposal. This may involve disclosing any response received, or summaries of them, to other interested parties.

An individual who provides a response and indicates an affiliation with an organization will be considered to have submitted the response on behalf of that organization.

Responses received from individuals who do not indicate an affiliation with an organization will not be considered public information. Responses from individuals may be used and disclosed by the ministry to help evaluate and revise its proposal. Any personal information such as an individual's name and contact details will not be disclosed by the ministry without the individual's prior consent, unless required by law.

If you have any questions about the collection, use or disclosure of this information, please contact anna.dunscombe@ontario.ca.
Contact Address:
Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery
56 Wellesley Street West, 6th Floor
Toronto, Ontario M7A 1C1
Effective Date:
May 1, 2025
Decision:
Approved