Every electrical device or component must be certified by the

Canadian Standards Association (or recognized equivalent) before

it can be sold in Canada. Implicit in this is that all wiring

must be done with CSA-approved materials. They perform testing

similar to the UL (a bit more stringent), except that CSA (or

recognized equivalent) approval is required by law.

Again, like the UL, if a fire was caused by non-CSA-approved

equipment, your insurance company may not have to pay the

claim.

Note: strictly speaking, there usually is a legal way around

the lack of a CSA sticker. In some cases (eg: Ontario), a

local hydro inspection prior to purchase, or prior to use, is

acceptable. The hydro inspector will affix a "hydro sticker"

to the unit, which is as good as CSA approval. But it costs

money - last I knew, $75 per unit inspected.