On May 1, 2025, the 29th edition of the Ontario Electrical Safety Code took effect. It is based on the 2024 Canadian Electrical Code, Part I (CSA C22.1), with Ontario’s own amendments, and the Electrical Safety Authority announced it in November 2024.
Other provinces have been adopting the 2024 CEC on their own timelines. British Columbia’s adoption took effect on March 4, 2025.
What it brings
The 2024 CEC’s largest revisions are in Section 64, covering renewable energy and energy storage systems. Other changes include:
- electric vehicle energy management systems
- updated requirements for healthcare facilities
- bonding and disconnect requirements for pools, hot tubs and spas
- measures to protect maintenance workers, including reduced arcing-fault clearing times for larger overcurrent devices
What it means for projects
The edition that applies is generally set by when the work is permitted, so projects that straddle the changeover may be working to the previous code. On longer projects and phased work, it’s worth confirming early which edition each phase falls under.
