VIDEO: No gas line checks at renovation site could lead to steep fines for contractors in Brampton

WARNING: This story contains a video which features strong language which may be offensive to some viewers.

Issues with a contractor not checking for gas lines at a Brampton home could lead to tougher rules with fines and “more teeth” to go after builders who “continue to put the safety of residents at risk,” says Mayor Patrick Brown.

City staff were out at a property on Alderway Avenue last week after receiving multiple complaints from neighbours and a viral video of the home that’s been viewed over 187,000 times online.

In the video, a resident asks workers digging at the property where their building permit is – which are required to be displayed at the front of the house – and whether the contractor had called to check for underground gas lines and utilities before starting work.

The workers then tell the neighbour that no utility checks, known in the construction businesses as “locates,” were never ordered.

City workers went to inspect the property after receiving numerous 311 complaints and confirmed what the video showed – no locates had been performed on the property before work started.

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The city says that the contractors do in fact have a permit, which has since been put up per regulations, and did not have the proof plans readily available. And while inspectors found “nothing structurally wrong” with the home or the renovation work, no pre-construction inspection was done.

All work at the property “is being done in accordance with zoning and building codes…except not having building permit posted,” staff said.

@mouche7113 #BramptonSlumlord #BramptonRoomingHouse ♬ original sound – Mouche

City Council is looking to overhaul and update its rules regarding contractors with a growing number of residents frustrated with loud and messy renovations across the city.

Staff said some of the increase of questionable renos in Brampton are “unintended consequences” of the province’s housing targets. The More Homes Built Faster Act wants to see municipalities add 1.5 million homes across the province over the next 10 years with Brampton’s target set at 113,000 new units.

A motion put forward by Coun. Dennis Keenan will see city staff look at bringing in fines for contractors failing to meet pre-construction and locate requirements, and Mayor Brown said he wants a full breakdown of “what legal tools we have to come at this with a lot more teeth.”

Brown said residents “feel hopeless” and proposed bans on contractors who “continue to put the safety of residents at risk” from operating in Brampton city limits.

City staff will look at adding or updating Brampton’s construction bylaws and add new fines to hopefully ensure more compliance.

A report outlining potential options will go to council for review before any official changes are made.

Multiple cases of what Keenan called “slumlord squalor” also has the city looking at a possible pause on construction of all basement suites and additional rental units across the city until next year.