Ontario making carbon monoxide detectors mandatory in homes‏

By Antonella Artuso ,Queen's Park Bureau Chief

TORONTO - Carbon monoxide alarms will soon be mandatory in all Ontario homes.

The provincial legislature voted Wednesday in support of a private member’s bill to require homeowners to install carbon monoxide warning devices just as they would smoke detectors.

Community Safety Minister Madeleine Meilleur said that she expects the bill to be proclaimed into law as soon as possible.

“It’s good news and let’s celebrate that,” she said.

PC MPP Ernie Hardeman, the author of the bill, praised retired firefighter John Gignac who pushed for mandatory CO alarms after his niece, OPP Const. Laurie Hawkins, her husband Richard and two children died in 2008 when their home filled with deadly fumes from a blocked gas fireplace.

Fire department officials will enforce the legislation, and penalties will be similar to those related to smoke alarms — a $235 ticket.

Ontarians shouldn’t wait for the law or a fine before putting in a CO detector, Hardeman said.

“It’s a silent killer — you can’t see it, you can’t taste it, you can’t smell it — and so you won’t know it’s there until it’s too late,” he said.

About 12 people a year die from carbon monoxide poisoning in Ontario, Meilleur said.

Private member’s bills rarely become law, so it is considered a significant achievement for Bill 77 to have made it through the legislative process.

The Ontario Liberal government’s bill to protect consumers from aggressive and abusive sales tactics also passed third reading in the legislature Wednesday.

New rules will be put in place for door-to-door sales, debt settlement services and real estate transactions.

Consumer Services Minister Tracy MacCharles has said her bill will provide more protection for home buyers in real estate bidding and give them more power to negotiate fees and commissions.

It will also help temper the aggressive approaches of water heater salespeople by mandating a 20-day cooling-off period, banning delivery and installation during that period, and requiring companies to confirm sales with recorded telephone calls, she said.