Lord Acton: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
Do you think the Electrical Safety Authority has too much power? Do you think ESA abuses or misuses its power in criminal ways? Do you think it must stop now?
And the only way to end the abuse is to give 60% or more of the decision making power to electricians, contractors, customers and general public.
For example, the ESA Review Panel must include at least 60% of ISB representatives when hearing suggestions, complaints or cases of electricians, master electricians, contractors-to-be or self-employed contractors with four employees or less. We think that today, when a dispute arises, the ESA Review Panel acts exactly as a monopolistic and abusive dictator. And this is unacceptable.
A simple free of charge procedure must be implemented to enable any electrical worker or worker-to-be to file for a hearing or appeal. Any other person or entity should also be able to quickly and easily object the ESA or to complain. Any filing should be judged or resolved by a panel with at least 60% of ISB representatives. ESA critics, opponents, other contractors, public and customers should be allowed to represent the plaintiff, appellant or complainant as witnesses or in any other capacity.
In case of a hearing or litigation, ESA must reimburse our legal expenses or to compensate those of us who paid fees to the ESA. This measure will prevent the ESA from using our own money to persecute us. Today the ESA collects money from us and spends it on the attorneys, counsels, lawyers, etc. who act against us. At the same time, we cover our legal expenses out of own pockets. We pay twice. ESA does not pay at all because every penny came out of our pockets.
We should NOT pay ESA for persecuting ourselves. This practice is profoundly unfair and must stop right away. The Electrical Safety Authority must cover the opponents' defense, our attorneys, counsels, experts and others with the money that all electrical workers have already paid to the ESA.
No electrical worker with net income of $20,000 to $50,000 would be able to ever get a fair trial or hearing. Using millions of our own dollars the ESA hires the best and most expensive lawyers to fight us. While most of us could not afford even a cheapest one.
In sum, Electrical Safety Authority shall not use money that we paid to ESA for prosecuting or persecuting us. To get justice and stop abuse ESA should reimburse our legal expenses when we sue ESA for its alleged crimes or when ESA tries to persecute us.
Any person or entity should be able to sue ESA. ECAO, CoAC and/or ISB should be able to order ESA to pay for the person's attorney.
- It is unfair to electrical workers and ordinary people to have to go to court to fight or set aside unlawful laws that were passed when those making or proposing the laws made a mistake or did not themselves honestly and reasonably believe them to be lawful.
- It is wrong to make innocent Ontarians pay the price for the negligence, errors, abuses and violations by the ESA and provincial actors.
- Ontarians end up with the enormous burdens in expense and energy of challenging these illegal laws. They are forced to pay the legal fees and related costs of challenging these laws on both sides: their own costs of the challenge and, in addition, through their taxes, the costs of having ESA lawyers defend the challenges.
- It is unjust to use electrical workers' and public resources to defend laws that the ESA and provincial actors, responsible for making them, did not ascertain were lawful in the first place.
- In addition, while these laws are in place, they have their unlawful effect. Persons are fined or persecuted unlawfully. Many of these consequences are not reversible and ought never to be suffered at all when the provincial actors are not sure, honestly and reasonably, in the lawfulness of the regulation or Act in question.
Anyone should be able to ask a question. ESA must give a fast and meaningful answer. This will allow to investigate, expose, and end bad, harmful, dangerous, and allegedly criminal ESA actions (if any) in a matter of several months!
An interactive online public forum should be created ASAP, enabling every asker, critic, complainant to place even a tiny matter or question. This would quickly level the playing field and stop the abuse.
Tell the ESA you want the same via email ESA.Cambridge@electricalsafety.on.ca
Ask your MPP.
Email the Minister directly Ms. Lisa M Thompson. Or visit web site of the Minister of Government and Consumer Services, who is accountable for the ESA activities.
Or do you have your own story of abuse, neglect, unfair treatment, overcharge, etc. to share publicly? Join us in a class action if you think they are parasites and sue them together with us!
When a bunch of abused folks speaks out, nothing happens.
If there are hundred or thousand of us, we will prevail and restore the common sense and fairness!
Your voice is an extremely powerful tool. But only if it is used and heard.
So, do you think we should collect signatures and petition the ESA?
Or should we hold a referendum and simply order ESA to do what is right?
