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Cities · Contractors · Vetting

Find Local Contractors

Find help replacing polybutylene plumbing anywhere in Canada: send a request to the HAUSE desk, open your city’s guide, and check any contractor’s credentials before you sign.

How this page works

A request desk, not a ratings list

This page used to promise a searchable list of contractors. We no longer publish one. Star ratings and “verified” badges on a website are only as good as whoever checked them, and a homeowner deserves to see the actual certificate, licence and written quote rather than a badge.

Instead, Polybutylene.ca, part of the HAUSE Network, runs a request desk. You describe your home and what you need; the desk replies with next steps and, where available and with your consent, a local contractor who can inspect and quote. HAUSE is not a plumbing contractor, does not do the work, and does not certify or endorse the businesses it introduces. Whoever you hire, use the vetting guide below.

How the HAUSE request desk works

The same form sits on this page, the replacement guide and the city pages.

  1. Send your details

    Give your name, email, optional phone, province, city, approximate home size, number of bathrooms, preferred replacement material and anything the desk should know, such as a recent leak, an insurance deadline or a condo board. Tick the consent box so the desk can reply.

  2. The desk reviews the request

    The desk replies with next steps: links to the right guides, questions about your home, and what to have ready, such as photos of exposed pipe or your insurer’s letter.

  3. Introduction, only with your consent

    Where a contractor serving your area is available, the desk asks before sharing your details. If none is available, you still get the guidance and can look for a plumber on your own.

  4. Site visit and written quote

    The contractor confirms the pipe type, measures the job and quotes in writing. Compare it with the published price ranges and at least one other quote.

  5. You decide

    Nothing is booked until you sign with the contractor. The agreement, the permit and the warranty are between you and them, so check their credentials first.

City finder

Find your city

Pick a city to open its poly-B guide, or tap a province to see who certifies plumbers there and how to check a licence.

What the model shows, in words

Using the map

Every pin on this map is a city with its own poly-B guide on this site, from Victoria and the Lower Mainland through Kelowna, Calgary and Edmonton to Ottawa and the Greater Toronto Area. Selecting a pin opens that city’s hub, where neighbourhood pages explain local building eras and what they suggest about the chance of finding poly-B. Selecting a province instead shows the body that certifies plumbers there, whether certification is compulsory, and where to check a tradesperson’s credentials.

Western Canada

Alberta requires a recognized certificate or registered apprenticeship to install or repair plumbing, and its Tradesecrets tool lets you look up a certificate by name and number. British Columbia offers plumber certification through SkilledTradesBC, but plumber was not among the seven trades requiring certification when we checked, so asking for proof matters more there. Saskatchewan lists plumber as a compulsory trade; Manitoba lists it as voluntary. In each province the permit for a repipe comes from the municipality.

Ontario and Quebec

Ontario treats plumber as a compulsory trade: anyone practising must hold a training agreement or certificate and appear on Skilled Trades Ontario’s public register, which you can search. In Quebec, plumbing work requires a contractor licence from the Régie du bâtiment du Québec, issued for plumbing and heating through the CMMTQ, whose member directory is searchable by company name, street, city or phone number. Both provinces give homeowners a direct way to confirm a claim before signing anything.

Atlantic Canada and the North

New Brunswick requires plumbing construction work to be done by a provincially licensed plumber working for a licensed plumbing contractor. Nova Scotia lists plumber among its thirteen compulsory certified trades and can fine uncertified work. For Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador we could not confirm the current rules from an official page, and the territories publish little; plumber is a Red Seal trade everywhere in Canada, so a Red Seal endorsement is a useful baseline to ask about.

City guides

City hubs and neighbourhoods

Vetting

How to vet a poly-B replacement contractor in Canada

A whole-home repipe opens your walls, changes every water line in the house and becomes the evidence your insurer and future buyers rely on. Checking the people doing it takes an evening and is worth it.

  1. Confirm trade certification. Ask for the certificate or licence number of the plumber who will do the work, not just the company name, and check it with the provincial body in the table below. Plumber is a Red Seal trade in every province and territory, so a Red Seal endorsement shows the person passed the national exam.17
  2. Check the business side. In Quebec, confirm the company’s RBQ licence and CMMTQ membership.1213 In Alberta, a contractor that takes a deposit for work on your home and signs the contract away from its own premises needs a provincial prepaid contracting licence.5 In Edmonton, contractors must also be licensed with the City.2
  3. Ask who pulls the permit. In Calgary, a hired contractor applies for its own plumbing permit; a homeowner permit is only for owners doing the work themselves.1 A contractor who suggests skipping the permit is also skipping the inspection that protects you.
  4. Ask for references from recent repipes, ideally jobs of a similar size, and call them.19
  5. Get the warranty terms in writing for both labour and materials, and understand how a claim would work.19
  6. Ask for proof of liability insurance and of workers’ compensation coverage where it applies, so an injury or accident on your property is not your problem.
  7. Compare at least two written quotes line by line using the checklist on the replacement guide.

The City of Calgary publishes its own five steps for choosing a contractor, a useful companion wherever you live.1

Who certifies plumbers, province by province

Checked against official pages on 2026-09-28. “Compulsory” means a person must be certified or registered as an apprentice to do the work.

Province or territoryCertifying or licensing bodyCompulsory for plumbers?How to check
AlbertaAlberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training (Tradesecrets)Yes: a recognized certificate or registered apprenticeship is required to install, alter or repair plumbing3Tradesperson Lookup Tool (name plus certificate or ID number)4
British ColumbiaSkilledTradesBCNo: plumber was not among the seven compulsory trades when checked6Verify a Tradesperson’s Certification tool7
SaskatchewanSaskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission (SATCC)Yes: listed as a compulsory trade8Ask for the certificate; SATCC offers trade certification verification8
ManitobaApprenticeship ManitobaNo: listed as voluntary certification9Ask for the certificate of qualification or Red Seal
OntarioSkilled Trades OntarioYes: compulsory trade; practitioners must appear on the Public Register10Public Register search11
QuebecRégie du bâtiment du Québec, with the CMMTQ as its mandatary for plumbing and heatingYes: plumbing work requires an RBQ contractor licence, subclass 15.512RBQ licence holders’ repertory; CMMTQ member directory1213
New BrunswickGovernment of New Brunswick (plumbing licences)Yes: work must be done by a licensed plumber employed by a licensed plumbing contractor14Ask for both licence numbers
Nova ScotiaNova Scotia Apprenticeship AgencyYes: one of 13 compulsory certified trades15Ask to see the certificate of qualification15
Prince Edward IslandGovernment of Prince Edward IslandNot confirmed from an official pageAsk for the certificate and any contractor licence
Newfoundland and LabradorApprenticeship and Trades Certification DivisionNot confirmed from an official page16Ask for the certificate of qualification or Red Seal
Yukon, Northwest Territories, NunavutTerritorial apprenticeship authoritiesNot confirmed; plumber is a designated Red Seal trade in all three17Ask for the Red Seal or territorial certificate

Rules change; confirm with the provincial body before you rely on this table. Plumbing and building permits are issued by municipalities, which may add their own contractor licensing, as Edmonton does.2 In British Columbia, gas fitter certificates have been issued by Technical Safety BC, and the City of Vancouver requires a plumbing permit for most plumbing work.618

Questions to ask before you hire

Grouped the way homeowners usually work through them. Tick them off during the site visit.

0 of 15 checked

Red flags

None of these proves a contractor is dishonest, but each deserves a pointed question.

No permit

An offer to save money by skipping the permit also skips the inspection, and leaves you without the sign-off insurers and buyers ask for.

No certificate number

Vague answers about who holds the plumbing certificate, or a refusal to give a number you can check with the province.

A big deposit up front

Pressure for a large payment before work starts. In Alberta, a contractor taking deposits for home work at your door needs a prepaid contracting licence.5

A quote with no breakdown

One number with no split between plumbing, restoration, permits and GST makes comparison impossible.

A price far below the rest

Replacement firms themselves warn that unusually low quotes often mean cheaper materials or skipped steps; ask what is left out.2021

Diagnosis without looking

Some grey pipe is not poly-B. A careful firm confirms what you have before quoting.22

Pressure to sign today

Limited-time pricing or scare tactics about imminent failure are reasons to slow down, not speed up.

No written warranty

Verbal promises about workmanship are hard to enforce. Get the terms on paper.19

Are you a plumbing contractor?

If your firm replaces poly-B and wants to receive requests from homeowners in your area, contact the HAUSE desk. HAUSE does not rate, rank or badge businesses; homeowners are told to check every contractor’s certification themselves.

HAUSE desk · Request

Request a quote

Tell the HAUSE desk where you are and what your home is like. It replies with next steps and, where available and with your consent, a local contractor who can inspect and quote in writing.

  1. 01
    A person reads itThe HAUSE desk reviews the age of the home, what you found and how urgent it is.
  2. 02
    You get a replyBy email from info@hause.ca or by phone from 403-679-3100, with practical next steps.
  3. 03
    Matched where availableWith your consent, your request goes to a local replacement contractor so they can quote.
  4. 04
    You decideNo obligation. Use the guides and the cost calculator to compare what you are quoted.

Questions · 5

Frequently asked questions

Does Polybutylene.ca recommend specific contractors?

No. The HAUSE desk may introduce a local contractor where one is available and you consent, but it does not rate, rank, certify or endorse businesses. Check any contractor’s credentials with the provincial body before hiring.

How do I check a plumber’s licence in Canada?

It depends on the province. Alberta has a Tradesperson Lookup Tool, Ontario has the Skilled Trades Ontario Public Register, British Columbia has a certification verification tool, and in Quebec you can check the RBQ licence and CMMTQ membership.411712

Is a Red Seal plumber better qualified?

A Red Seal endorsement means the plumber passed the interprovincial exam for the trade, which is recognized across Canada. Plumber is a Red Seal trade in all provinces and territories.17

Can I do the poly-B replacement myself?

In Calgary, owners who live in a house they own may take out a homeowner plumbing permit for work they do themselves, but not in apartment-style condos.1 Edmonton has a similar homeowner permit for owner-occupied single detached houses.2 A whole-home repipe is a large job; most owners hire a certified plumber.

What if there is no contractor available in my area?

The desk still replies with guidance. Use the vetting steps on this page to find and check a local plumber yourself, and ask at least two firms for written quotes.

Sources

  1. City of Calgary — Homeowner electrical and plumbing permits · accessed 2026-09-28
  2. City of Edmonton — Plumbing Permits, Residential · accessed 2026-09-28
  3. ALIS (Government of Alberta) — Plumber: Certifications in Alberta · accessed 2026-09-28
  4. Tradesecrets (Government of Alberta) — Tradesperson Lookup Tool · accessed 2026-09-28
  5. Government of Alberta — Prepaid contracting licence · accessed 2026-09-28
  6. SkilledTradesBC — Skilled Trades Certification (Compulsory Trades) · accessed 2026-09-28
  7. SkilledTradesBC — Verify a Tradesperson’s Certification · accessed 2026-09-28
  8. Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission — Plumber · accessed 2026-09-28
  9. Apprenticeship Manitoba — Manitoba Designated Trades (compulsory and voluntary) · accessed 2026-09-28
  10. Skilled Trades Ontario — Plumber · accessed 2026-09-28
  11. Skilled Trades Ontario — Public Register · accessed 2026-09-28
  12. Régie du bâtiment du Québec — Plumbing: Licence · accessed 2026-09-28
  13. CMMTQ — Pourquoi faire affaire avec un membre de la CMMTQ? · accessed 2026-09-28
  14. Government of New Brunswick — Plumbing licences · accessed 2026-09-28
  15. Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency — Compulsory Certified Trades · accessed 2026-09-28
  16. Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Apprenticeship and Trades Certification Division — Plumber trade profile · accessed 2026-09-28
  17. Red Seal Program — Plumber · accessed 2026-09-28
  18. City of Vancouver — Plumbing permits (permit system help) · accessed 2026-09-28
  19. Kingstree Plumbing (Edmonton) — Replacing Poly B Piping: Essential Guide for Canadian Homeowners (10 July 2025) · accessed 2026-09-28
  20. Clearly Plumbing & Drainage — Is Poly B Piping Covered by Home Insurance? · accessed 2026-09-28
  21. Urban Piping — Poly B replacement in Calgary: process and packages · accessed 2026-09-28
  22. PatchBoyz (Ottawa) — Poly B plumbing, drywall repair and stipple removal · accessed 2026-09-28

Keep going

Related guides

Repipe · Cost · OptionsReplacement Options & Cost CalculatorCoverage · Disclosure · RenewalAsk your insurer. Keep the answer.Calgary, Alberta · City guidePoly-B Replacement Services in CalgaryEdmonton, Alberta · City guideEdmonton’s Complete Poly-B Replacement GuideVancouver & Lower Mainland, BC · City guideVancouver’s Complete Poly-B Replacement GuideToronto & Greater Toronto Area, ON · City guideToronto & GTA’s Complete Poly-B Guide

Updated 2026-09-28