A landscaper without proper insurance and WSIB coverage can leave you liable when a worker gets hurt on your driveway, or stuck with a damaged neighbour fence and no recourse. The good news: verifying a contractor in Ontario takes about fifteen minutes if you know what to ask for. This guide walks through the six documents we hand over on every Peace Love Landscaping job, where to confirm each one, and the red flags that should end the conversation.
Quick verdict
Ask every shortlisted landscaper for four things in writing: a current commercial general liability certificate naming you as additional insured, a WSIB clearance certificate, proof of Landscape Ontario or trade-association membership, and a business number. Confirm the WSIB clearance yourself at the WSIB online portal, and verify LO membership on landscapeontario.com. If a contractor stalls, makes excuses, or wants a deposit before sending docs, walk away. Verification is a 15-minute job that prevents five-figure problems.
Verification checklist
| Document | What to ask for | Where to confirm | Red flag if missing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial general liability | Certificate of insurance, $2M minimum, you listed as additional insured | Call the broker on the certificate | No proof, expired date, or refuses to add you |
| WSIB clearance | Clearance certificate with their WSIB account number | WSIB eClearance portal, free public lookup | “My guys are subcontractors” with no clearance |
| Landscape Ontario membership | Member number and chapter | landscapeontario.com member directory | Logo on truck, no listing on LO site |
| Business registration | Legal business name, BN, incorporation status | Ontario Business Registry, search by name | Cash-only, no business number, personal name on quote |
| Workplace safety policy | Written health and safety policy plus current first-aid training | Ask to see the binder or PDF | “We just wing it” or no policy at all |
| GST/HST number | 9-digit number on the quote and final invoice | CRA GST/HST registry search | No HST on a quote over $30,000 annually |
Commercial general liability insurance
Why $2 million is the floor
Commercial general liability, often shortened to CGL, covers damage the contractor causes to your property or third parties during the job. If a skid-steer cracks your foundation, a rock from a stump grinder breaks a neighbour’s window, or a worker chips your interlock with a wheelbarrow, this is the policy that pays. In Ontario we recommend $2 million per occurrence as the absolute minimum for residential work, and $5 million for any job involving pools, large trees near structures, or grading near a neighbour’s foundation.
What to look for on the certificate
A real certificate of insurance lists the insurer, broker, policy number, effective and expiry dates, coverage limits, and the named insured. Ask the contractor to have their broker issue a fresh certificate listing you as additional insured for your specific address. This takes the broker about five minutes and costs the contractor nothing. If the contractor sends a PDF from two years ago, or a screenshot of a policy page, that is not proof. Call the broker on the certificate and confirm the policy is active and includes your address.
WSIB clearance
Why this protects you, not just the workers
Under Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, if a worker is injured on your property and the contractor does not have WSIB coverage, you can be deemed the employer and held responsible for medical costs, lost wages, and rehabilitation. This is the single biggest hidden liability homeowners take on when they hire an uninsured crew. A WSIB clearance certificate, issued for free through the WSIB eClearance portal, confirms the contractor’s account is in good standing as of that date.
How to verify in two minutes
Ask for the contractor’s WSIB account number, then go to the WSIB eClearance site, enter the number, and request a clearance directly. The certificate generates in under a minute and is valid for the work period listed. Do not accept a printed PDF the contractor emails you, because clearance status can change between when it was issued and when work starts. Pull a fresh one yourself the week before the project begins. If the contractor is genuinely a sole owner with no employees and no subcontractors, ask for a WSIB independent operator status letter instead.
Landscape Ontario membership
What LO membership actually means
Landscape Ontario Horticultural Trades Association is the provincial trade body. Membership signals the contractor has paid dues, agreed to a code of ethics, and is part of a chapter that runs continuing education, certification programs, and conflict resolution. It is not a guarantee of quality, but it filters out fly-by-night operators who would not bother joining. Members can also pursue Certified Landscape Technician and Certified Landscape Designer credentials, which require written and field exams.
How to confirm
Go to landscapeontario.com, click Find a Member, and search by company name or city. The directory shows membership status, chapter, and any certifications the company has earned. A contractor who claims membership but does not appear in the directory is either lapsed or never joined. Ask the contractor for their member number directly. Real members will rattle it off without hesitation.
Workplace safety policy and training
Why this matters on residential jobs
Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act requires every employer to have a written health and safety policy, hazard assessments, and trained workers. Landscaping is one of the higher-risk trades: chainsaws, skid-steers, trenching, and overhead lines all show up on residential jobs. A contractor without a documented safety policy is statistically more likely to have an incident on your property, and that incident becomes a WSIB claim, an insurance claim, and potentially a Ministry of Labour investigation that drags your address into the file.
What to ask to see
Ask the contractor for their written health and safety policy and current first-aid and CPR certifications for at least one crew member on site. Real companies have a binder or PDF they hand over without hesitation. For any job involving tree work over 3 metres, ask whether the climber holds chainsaw certification and arborist training. For excavation deeper than 1.2 metres, trenching protocols and shoring are legally required. None of this is overkill for a $30,000 backyard build.
Business registration and HST
The Ontario Business Registry check
Every legitimate landscaping business in Ontario is registered with the province, either as a sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation. Search the Ontario Business Registry for the legal name on the quote. You will see the registration date, status, and registered address. If the business does not exist in the registry, or the address is a residential rental in another city, treat that as a serious red flag. A real company has continuity, a paper trail, and assets that can be sued if things go wrong.
HST and the $30,000 threshold
In Canada, any business with more than $30,000 in revenue over four consecutive quarters must register for and collect GST/HST. A landscaping company quoting a $25,000 patio job without HST is either operating below the small-supplier threshold, which is rare for a real outfit, or evading tax. Tax-evading contractors are also the ones most likely to skip insurance, WSIB, and warranty obligations. Confirm the HST number on the CRA registry and make sure it matches the business name.
How to apply this on your project
Bake verification into your shortlist process so it never feels confrontational. When you request quotes, include the verification documents in the same email so every contractor knows the standard up front.
- In your initial RFQ, list the four documents required to be considered.
- Set a 48-hour window. Real companies have these on file and respond fast.
- Verify WSIB and LO yourself, never trust the contractor-supplied PDF.
- Call the broker on the insurance certificate, not the number the contractor texts you.
- Save copies of every document with the signed contract.
Common mistakes we see on quote reviews
- Accepting a screenshot of an insurance certificate instead of a fresh one from the broker.
- Trusting a logo on the truck instead of looking up the LO member directory.
- Skipping WSIB verification because “they look professional.”
- Paying a cash deposit to avoid HST, which voids every consumer protection you have.
- Hiring the cheapest bid without realizing the price gap is exactly the cost of insurance and WSIB.
- Letting work start before the additional-insured endorsement is on file.
- Ignoring an expired certificate because the contractor “is renewing it next week.”
Frequently asked questions
Do I really need to be listed as additional insured?
Yes, for any job over a few thousand dollars. Being additional insured means the contractor’s policy responds directly to claims involving your property, without you having to chase them. Brokers add this at no cost.
What is the difference between WSIB clearance and a contractor having WSIB?
Having WSIB means they have an account. A clearance certificate confirms the account is current and paid as of a specific date. Always pull a fresh clearance, never trust an old one.
Can I hire a contractor who is not a Landscape Ontario member?
Yes, LO membership is not legally required. Many excellent small builders are not members. But for higher-value projects, LO membership plus CLT certification is a useful quality filter.
What if the contractor is a sole owner with no employees?
They can apply for WSIB independent operator status and get a letter confirming it. That letter, plus their CGL policy, gives you the same protection as a clearance certificate.
How much CGL coverage is enough?
For typical residential work, $2 million per occurrence is the minimum. For pools, large excavation, or work near neighbour structures, push for $5 million.
Is paying cash to skip HST illegal for me?
It is tax evasion on the contractor’s side, and you lose every warranty, lien right, and small claims protection that comes with a documented transaction. Never pay cash for landscaping over a few hundred dollars.
How do I confirm a GST/HST number is real?
Use the CRA GST/HST registry search, free and public. Enter the 9-digit number plus the business name and confirm they match.
What if the contractor refuses to share docs?
End the conversation. A contractor who will not verify insurance and WSIB before signing is exactly the contractor you cannot afford to hire.
Verification protects you against the two scenarios that cost homeowners the most: a worker injury claim and a property damage dispute. Once your shortlist is verified, layer in the right contract questions and payment structure. Read our questions to ask before hiring and our deposit and payment schedule guide next. When you are ready, request a free quote and we will hand over our full document package before you even ask.