Recently in the area, residents contacted my office with fraud concerns as they had received a notice in the mail stating, “City of Toronto Bylaw Mandatory Downspout Disconnection — Final Notice.”
City of Toronto: Toronto Water and City of Toronto: Municipal Licensing and Standards investigated and discovered the company distributing this flyer in my ward was not currently licensed by the City of Toronto and that two corporations were advertising using “City of Toronto” when neither had a valid city-issued business licence. They were advised to cease this type of advertising.
I would like to thank the residents who brought a copy of the flyer from Ontario Downspout Service to my attention. Our office sent out an e-mail blast to residents advising them that none of those companies are associated with the City of Toronto and to be cautious about misleading information on websites using city logos without permission or promotional material left at their door misrepresenting companies as “partners” with the city.
These companies do not mention that property owners have the option to apply to the city for an exemption if they believe that disconnecting is not technically feasible or would cause a safety hazard.
Residents also can disconnect their downspouts themselves.
For complete information on the mandatory downspout disconnection program, call 311 or visit www.toronto.ca/water.
Residents hiring a contractor to perform work on their property should take note of the following information: www.toronto.ca /licensing/ licensed_contractor.