Inspectors
14. (1) The Minister or a municipality may designate as inspectors such employees of the Ministry or of the municipality respectively as are considered necessary by the Minister or the municipality for the purposes of ensuring that this Act and the regulations are complied with. Inspection (2) An inspector may, on giving twenty-four hours prior written notice to the owner of the rental property of the intention to do so, at reasonable times and on producing proper identification, (a) enter and inspect any rental property except any room or place therein actually used as a dwelling; and (b) upon giving a receipt therefor, remove from the rental property any document or thing found during the course of the inspection, and that may be relevant thereto, for the purpose of making copies or extracts and shall promptly thereafter return them to the rental property from which they were removed. Obstruction (3) No person shall hinder, obstruct or interfere with an inspector in the exercise of the right of entry and inspection and removal of documents or things conferred under subsection (2). Warrant to enter and inspect rental property (4) Where a justice of the peace is satisfied by evidence under oath, (a) that the entry and inspection of a rental property is authorized under subsection (2) and is reasonably necessary in the enforcement of this Act; and (b) that an inspector has been denied access to the rental property or that there are reasonable grounds to believe that access would be refused, the justice of the peace may issue a warrant in the prescribed form authorizing an inspector named in the warrant to enter and inspect the rental property, by the use of force if necessary, together with such police officers as may be called upon to assist the inspector, and upon giving a receipt therefor, to remove from the rental property any document or thing found during the course of the inspection, and that may be relevant thereto, for the purpose of making copies or extracts and shall promptly thereafter return them to the rental property from which they were removed. When to be executed and expiry (5) A warrant issued under subsection (4) shall be executed at reasonable times as specified in the warrant and the warrant shall state the date upon which it expires which date shall not be later than fifteen days after the warrant is issued. Entry into common areas (6) On the invitation to do so by the occupier of a rental unit, an inspector may enter and inspect any common areas of the rental property in which the rental unit is located and to which the occupier has a right of access. Entry into dwelling place (7) Except under the authority of a warrant issued under subsection (8), an inspector shall not enter any room or place actually used as a dwelling for the purposes of inspecting that dwelling without requesting and obtaining the consent of the occupier, first having informed the occupier that the right of entry may be refused and entry made only under the authority of a warrant. Warrant to enter and search (8) Where a justice of the peace is satisfied by evidence under oath, (a) that there is reasonable and probable ground for believing that an offence under this Act has been committed; and (b) that there is reasonable and probable ground for believing that the entry into and search of any building, receptacle or place will afford evidence as to the commission of the offence, the justice of the peace may issue a warrant in the prescribed form authorizing an inspector named in the warrant to enter and search the building, receptacle or place, by the use of force if necessary, together with such police officers as may be called upon to assist the inspector, and upon giving a receipt therefor, to remove from the building, receptacle or place any document or thing that may afford evidence of the offence for the purpose of making copies or extracts and shall promptly return them to the building, receptacle or place from which they were removed. When to be executed and expiry (9) A warrant issued under subsection (8) shall be executed at reasonable times as specified in the warrant and the warrant shall state the date upon which it expires which date shall not be later than fifteen days after the warrant is issued. Admissibility of copies (10) Copies of or extracts from documents and things removed under this section and certified as being true copies of, or extracts from, the originals by the person who made them are admissible in evidence to the same extent as, and have the same evidentiary value as, the documents or things of which they are copies or extracts. R.S.O. 1990, c. R.24, s. 14. General