Individual Fined $7000+ For Installing Furnace Without TSSA Authorization

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Toronto, ON, January 30, 2023 – Zhoufeng Yu, sole director of Lucky Air Systems operating in Richmond Hill and the Greater Toronto Area, pled guilty on Friday to one count of repairing a natural gas appliance without a TSSA-issued gas technician certificate and one count of knowingly making a false statement or furnishing false information, offenses under the Technical Standards and Safety Act. The Ontario Court of Justice ordered Yu to pay a total fine of $7,000 for both counts, plus a 25 per cent victim surcharge.

Yu, who has not held a valid TSSA certificate since 2018, entered into a verbal contract with a Toronto homeowner to repair a natural gas furnace, which had previously been issued a hazard tag by Enbridge Gas. Upon completing the repairs, Yu signed the hazard tag with the name of another individual that held a valid TSSA certificate, thereby indicating under someone else's legal authority that the hazard had been cleared.

Why Hire Qualified Workers to Perform Fuel-Related Work?

When individuals are not certified by TSSA to perform fuel-related work:

their work on fuel-burning equipment is not subject to TSSA audits for compliance with safety requirements.
their knowledge, competency and qualifications cannot be validated.
they do not receive updates on safety information and training.
"Improper installation and poor work have been identified as major contributing factors to fuels- and carbon monoxide-related safety risks in people's homes," said Sam Sadeghi, Director, Fuels Safety, TSSA. "Hiring only those authorized by TSSA to perform fuel-related work is essential to safeguarding one's health and wellbeing."