Straight answers about electrical work.

Yes. SMAC Electric Ltd. is a licensed electrical contractor with the Electrical Safety Authority, ECRA/ESA licence #7018289. In Ontario only a licensed electrical contractor may offer electrical work to the public, and you can verify any contractor's licence directly on the ESA's website before you hire them.

Most electrical work in Ontario requires a notification to the Electrical Safety Authority, which is the permit, followed by an inspection. A licensed contractor takes out the notification as part of the job. If a contractor suggests skipping it to save money, that is a reason to use someone else — unpermitted work can affect insurance claims and will surface when you sell the property.

The usual signs are breakers that trip when several appliances run together, a fuse box rather than breakers, a 60-amp service, no room left for new circuits, or scorching, buzzing, or a burning smell at the panel. Adding a major load such as an EV charger, heat pump, air conditioner, or hot tub is also a common trigger, because the existing service may not have the capacity for it.

A Level 2 charger needs its own dedicated circuit, so the first step is a load calculation to confirm the existing service can carry it. From there the work is running the circuit to the parking location, mounting and connecting the charger, and having the installation inspected. Where capacity is short, the options are usually a service upgrade or a load-management device that shares capacity between the charger and the rest of the house.

Knob-and-tube is not automatically unsafe, but it has no ground conductor, it degrades with age, and it was never designed for modern loads. It also becomes a hazard where it has been buried in insulation or extended with later wiring. The practical pressure usually comes from insurers, many of whom will not write or renew a policy on a home that still has it. An assessment will tell you what is still in service and what replacing it involves.

Yes. We take electrical subcontracting on fit-outs, renovations, and new construction, and we work with property management and facility teams on service work, lighting, distribution upgrades, and planned maintenance. Our commercial page covers how we quote, schedule, and document that work.

We start by understanding the scope — a site visit for most jobs, or a review of drawings and specifications for larger ones. We confirm the scope in writing, then price it broken out by area so you can see what each part costs, compare it against other bids, or stage the work rather than committing to all of it at once.

We are based in Etobicoke and work across the Greater Toronto Area, including Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, and Vaughan. If your property is in the GTA but outside those municipalities, it is still worth asking.