Aluminum Wiring in a Glen Shields Home, Concord

Published October 27, 2026 — Rhodex

Aluminum wiring is legal in Ontario and can be safe, but it needs the right connections. In a 1970s Glen Shields home, have a licensed electrical contractor assess it, and keep the ESA Certificate of Acceptance.

If you bought one of the older houses in Glen Shields, the southeast corner of Concord between Dufferin Street and Highway 7, there is a decent chance your home inspector or insurance broker has already said the words "aluminum wiring." Here is what that actually means, what is a real concern and what isn't, and the one piece of paper you want in your files afterwards.

Why this comes up in Glen Shields

The Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) says that if your home was built between the mid-1960s and late 1970s, you may have aluminum wiring. The City of Vaughan describes Glen Shields as a residential area built in the 1970s and 1980s, so houses from the early part of that stretch fall inside ESA's window and the later ones mostly fall outside it. The year on the house is only a hint: the only way to know is to look at the wire itself, which is usually marked on the cable jacket and visible in the panel or at a receptacle.

Is aluminum wiring a problem in itself?

Not automatically. ESA states that the Ontario Electrical Safety Code permits aluminum wiring, and that it is safe when proper connections and terminations are made without damaging the wire, using only devices approved for aluminum wire and installed to the Code and the manufacturer's instructions. The trouble is at the connections: outlets, switches, light fixtures and splices that were made with devices not suited to aluminum, or that have worked loose over fifty years of heating and cooling.

Failing connections can give little warning. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission lists signs that something is wrong at a connection: a switch or receptacle cover plate that is hot to the touch, flickering lights, a circuit that stops working, and a burning-plastic smell at an outlet or switch. If you notice any of those, stop using that circuit and call a licensed electrician rather than tightening things yourself.

Why your insurer cares

ESA says some insurers will not provide or renew coverage on a home without an ESA inspection. You may be asked to repair or replace the wiring and give your insurer a copy of the ESA Certificate of Acceptance. Requirements differ between insurers and each home is assessed individually, so the first call is to your broker or insurer: ask what they accept, in writing, before any work starts.

What a licensed electrical contractor actually checks

ESA recommends a Licensed Electrical Contractor who is familiar with the techniques needed for aluminum wiring. That contractor assesses the wiring, makes the repairs and has ESA inspect the work. In practice the assessment is a look at the connection points: the receptacles, switches and fixtures, the splices in boxes, and the panel. Which repair is right depends on what is found and on what your insurer will accept, and some insurers may ask for something more than a connection repair. Treat any quote that skips the insurer question as incomplete.

Two practical points. Do not swap receptacles yourself with whatever is on the hardware-store shelf, because a device that is fine on copper may not be approved for aluminum. And check that the contractor is licensed, which takes two minutes in the ESA database; our guide on how to check a contractor's licence in Ontario shows how.

Keep the Certificate of Acceptance

ESA says to ask your contractor for a copy of the Certificate of Acceptance for your records. File it with your insurance papers and your closing documents. It is the document your insurer may ask for at renewal, and the one a future buyer's lawyer will look for when you sell.

Quick answers

Does my Glen Shields house have aluminum wiring?

It might. ESA says a home built between the mid-1960s and late 1970s may have it. The City of Vaughan describes Glen Shields as built in the 1970s and 1980s, so the older streets are the likeliest.

Is aluminum wiring illegal in Ontario?

No. ESA says the Ontario Electrical Safety Code permits aluminum wiring, and that it is safe when connections are made properly with devices approved for aluminum wire.

Why does my insurer ask about aluminum wiring?

Some insurers will not provide or renew coverage without an ESA inspection, according to ESA. They may ask for a copy of the ESA Certificate of Acceptance, so ask your insurer what it requires.

Who should repair aluminum wiring in Ontario?

A Licensed Electrical Contractor who knows aluminum wiring. ESA says that contractor assesses the wiring, makes the repairs and has ESA inspect the work.

What is the Certificate of Acceptance?

It is ESA's record that the inspected electrical work was accepted. ESA says to ask your contractor for a copy for your records, because your insurer may want it.

If your Glen Shields home needs electrical work assessed, you can get a fixed price from Rhodex.

Before you spend anything

Find out what is in your walls, call your insurer and ask for its requirements, and only then book the work. That order keeps you from paying for a repair your insurer then rejects.

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Aluminum Wiring in a 1970s Glen Shields Home: What ESA Says and What to Keep