Lisgar Residents, please take note of the following from City Staff:
We have been made aware of a plumbing company who is going door-to-door in the Lisgar District attempting to persuade residents to install sump pumps and/or backwater valves under the Foundation Drain Collector (FDC) Sump Pump Subsidy program and the Region’s backwater valve program, respectively. Based on the information received in calls from concerned residents to the City and Region, the sales tactics being used by the company appear to be questionable. Information contained in a flyer being distributed by the company is inaccurate. Canadian Sanitary Systems, the plumbing company in question, may also be going door-to-door in other parts of the City, outside of the Lisgar District, soliciting the Region’s backwater valve program. In consultation with Legal Services, staff spoke to a representative of the company on the morning of April 25th and verbally advised that:
- The flyers titled ‘Mississauga, ON – Sanitary Backwater Valve Rebate Program and (FDC) Sump Pump Subsidy Program’ that are being distributed in the northwest corner of the City contain information that is factually incorrect. The Sanitary Backwater Valve Rebate Program is a program that is being offered solely by the Region of Peel. The City of Mississauga does not offer a rebate of up to $700 for eligible homeowners who install a sanitary backwater valve.
- In conversation with residents, it has come to light that homeowners are allegedly being misled by representatives from Canadian Sanitary Systems in their door-to-door sales tactics. This includes:
- Misrepresenting themselves as City of Mississauga staff;
- Advising homeowners that they are working on behalf of the City or authorized by the City to install sump pumps in the area;
- That the sump pump program is mandatory in the area;
- That a sump pump must be installed quickly; scaring homeowners into thinking that their home will flood; and
- That the subsidy would cover basement finishing and landscaping costs.
Staff will be sending a formal letter to this company reiterating these points and asking them to correct the misinformation and to stop the alleged misleading sales tactics.
The City is working to educate the public in the following means:
- Website – Content has been updated. http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/stormwater;
- 3-1-1 – Information has been shared and updated;
- Region of Peel – We have worked closely with the Region of Peel and have aligned our messaging;
- An eNewsletter article has been drafted and sent to Councillor McFadden.
- Targeted media outreach – We will reach out directly to Mississauga News, InSauga, Peel Weekly, and Modern Mississauga to advise them of the situation with messaging urging caution with door-to-door sales; and
- Social media – We will post messaging on the City’s Twitter and Facebook channels to urge residents to exercise caution when dealing with door-to-door sales.