How to choose a kitchen contractor in Ontario — the checks, the contract, and the rights the law gives you

Choosing a kitchen contractor in Ontario is less about instinct than people think. The Province publishes the rules contractors must follow, the regulators publish who is licensed, and the questions that separate a good contractor from a risky one are the same for every kitchen. This guide gives you the five checks, what a compliant contract contains, and the rights the Consumer Protection Act gives you whichever contractor you hire — including us.

Five checks before you sign anything

1. WSIB clearance. A current clearance certificate from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board means injured workers are covered by WSIB, not by a claim against your home. Ask for the certificate number and verify it.

2. Liability insurance. Ask for the certificate, check the expiry date and the coverage amount, and that the named insured is the company quoting you.

3. Licensed trades for electrical and gas. Electrical work must be done by a licensed electrical contractor who files the permit with the Electrical Safety Authority; gas work by a fitter licensed by the TSSA. The permit is in the contractor’s name. A contractor who asks you to pull the electrical permit yourself is telling you about their licensing.

4. Who pulls the building permit. For work on the City of Mississauga’s permit-required list — a relocated sink, drainage, kitchen exhaust, a wall — the contractor submits the drawings. Permits appear on the quote as their own line.

5. A kitchen finished two years ago. Day-one photos flatter everyone. Doors that still close straight after two winters, and an owner willing to take your call, tell you more than any portfolio.

What the Consumer Protection Act requires

Ontario’s Consumer Protection Act, 2002 sets the rules for home renovation contracts. The Province’s own guide for home renovation and roofing businesses, checked in October 2026, spells them out:

• Written agreement. Any contract worth more than $50 must be in writing. A cash deal without a contract removes every protection below.
• Deposits. The Province recommends deposits of no more than 10% of the total project cost.
• Estimates. Where a contract includes an estimate, the contractor cannot charge more than 10% above it unless you required additional or different work and signed a change to the contract.
• Changes. Mid-project changes must be documented in writing, including the effect on price, scheduling and completion dates.
• Cooling-off. A contract signed at your home is a direct agreement and carries a 10-day cooling-off period: you can cancel for any reason without a cancellation fee, and refunds including deposits are due within 15 days of your notice. If you asked the contractor to start during those 10 days and then cancel, they are entitled to reasonable payment for work and materials already provided.
• No compliant copy. If you never receive a written copy of the contract that meets the Act’s requirements, you can cancel within one year.

What a good quote looks like

Itemised, in Canadian dollars, with HST shown separately. Cabinets by run, countertop by slab with fabrication lines, demolition and disposal, plumbing and electrical hook-up, permits, backsplash, flooring if included, and a payment schedule tied to milestones. The word “miscellaneous” should not appear. Two quotes compared by total alone tell you nothing; compared line by line they tell you which one left things out.

Red flags

• A price before anyone has measured the room.
• A deposit far above 10%, or a request for cash to “save the tax”.
• No written contract, or a contract with no payment schedule and no completion date.
• Reluctance to name the electrician or to show a WSIB certificate.
• Pressure to sign today for a price that disappears tomorrow — the cooling-off period exists for exactly this.
• A portfolio with no addresses and no owners who will talk.

How we try to pass our own test

Our credentials section lists licence, insurance and WSIB details exactly as the operator documents them, our quotes are itemised with HST separate, nothing is cut before you sign off the 3D design, and the warranty page sets out deposits and changes in writing. Ask us the five questions; we expect them.

For the budget side of the decision, read the Mississauga cost guide. Ready to compare? Request a written quote.