The Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) is responsible for the administration of the Product Safety Regulation (O. Reg. 438/07), which came into effect in 2007.  To offset the costs associated with this administration, ESA had introduced a manufacturer's registration system, which was suspended due to changes that had occurred both provincially and nationally. 

Please take notice that electrical product manufacturers are no longer required to register with ESA.  The funds previously collected will be returned directly to companies that had registered and paid a fee to ESA.  Refunds will be sent in the form of a cheque over several weeks starting on December 12, 2011. 

Changes have occurred throughout the last year that may affect the future administration of the program, the most important of which was the coming into force of similar product safety legislation at the federal level (i.e., the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act).  Given that this legislation overlaps in many ways with the provincial product safety requirements, it has been decided that ESA would defer the implementation of a provincial funding model to provide an opportunity for ontario to align with the national product safety legislation. 

ESA remains committed to electrical product safety.  The Product Safety Regulation is still in place and continues to be implemented and electrical products offered for sale in ontario continue to require approval (i.e., certification or field evaluation). 

Manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, importers, product distributors, certification bodies and/or field evaluation agencies continue to be required to submit serious electrical incident, accident or defect reports as set out in the Regulation and guidelines. ESA continues to work with those affected, as well as, with Health Canada and other provincial regulators to respond to reports received. 

ESA remains committed to the development of a national approach to the management of electrical product safety and continues to work with national and provincial counterparts towards a national strategy.   In the mean time, ESA will continue to work with the Ministry of Consumer Services and Health Canada to reduce regulatory duplication between the provincial and federal requirements.