Mississauga City Council passed a motion last Wednesday calling on the Province of Ontario to impose a ban on door-to-door sales activities in the home services sector. The ban specifically addresses the sale or lease of heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment, water heaters, water filtration systems and other related home energy products and services by door-to-door sales agents.

The motion, brought forward by Ward 2 Councillor Karen Ras, urges other municipalities to join with Mississauga in calling on the Province to act.

“Even with the recently implemented Stronger Protection for Ontario Consumers Act in April 2015, homeowners have continued to experience unsolicited, aggressive and misleading sales tactics at their door from companies seeking to sell home energy products,” said Councillor Ras. “These sellers are thumbing their noses at the existing provincial legislation. They misrepresent their identities, pose as government safety inspectors and tell their victims that they are there to conduct so-called mandatory checks. I’ve experienced this kind of behaviour myself, and we need to put a stop to it.”

The motion comes as part of a campaign called ‘StopTheKnocks’ which encourages homeowners across Ontario to lend their voices by signing the online petition on Change.org.

“It is important for homeowners to know their rights when it comes to door-to-door sales,” said Janice Baker, City Manager and Chief Administrative Officer. “We ask residents to always be cautious when approached by anyone offering goods and services door-to-door.”

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