Radon, asbestos, wiring, plumbing, oil tanks and the other condition issues that decide Ontario transactions, sourced to Health Canada, the regulators and the legislation.
The US$125 million settlement fund and the 9 January 2020 claims deadline are confirmed on the official settlement website, and the claims period is closed. But no Health Canada recall, no TSSA or ESA publication and no Ontario guidance could be located — and the installation-year range everyone quotes is not on any primary source.
The Electrical Safety Authority states that the Code permits aluminum wiring, and that existing concealed knob-and-tube may remain in place if it is on 15 amp protection, not overloaded and undamaged. What the ESA actually publishes on each, the Certificate of Acceptance process, and why the insurance question is separate from the legal one.
Canada’s 2018 asbestos ban expressly excludes asbestos already integrated into a building — it is a market ban, not a removal order. Health Canada says undisturbed vermiculite sealed off from living space shows no evidence of risk. And Ontario’s O. Reg. 278/05 exempts owner-occupied homes but binds every contractor you hire.
Health Canada requires a minimum 91-day test during the heating season and states that short-term measurements are not appropriate for informing mitigation decisions — which is most tests done in a conditional period. The 200 Bq/m3 guideline, the published Toronto and Peel figures with their sample sizes, and how to handle radon in a transaction.
The Home Inspection Act, 2017 carries an e-Laws note that it is not yet in force, has been amended three times while unproclaimed, and has no regulations at all. What that means for buyers, what the province says an inspection is and is not, typical fees, and the five things an inspection structurally cannot tell you.
