A panel and an electrical service are different parts of the system
The panel distributes electricity to property circuits. The service is the incoming supply and associated equipment. Replacing a panel does not automatically increase the available supply. A Licensed Electrical Contractor should assess existing condition and demand, planned loads and the utility requirements before recommending equipment. Spare breaker spaces alone do not establish capacity.
Prepare the scope for your Toronto property
Identify the owner or property manager responsible for shared equipment, and describe whether the project is a replacement, additional circuits or greater capacity. Access to common electrical rooms should be arranged by the authorized person rather than improvised during a visit.
Ask what can be changed within your ownership boundary and what needs building or utility coordination. A neat new panel is not evidence that the building can deliver a larger electrical supply.
What should the assessment establish?
For a unit in a shared Toronto building, request a proposal that names each owner-controlled component and each common component separately. A restriction on modifying the feeder may make the original capacity request impractical even when there is room for another panel. Obtain the building decision before buying equipment. If the project instead concerns a detached house, ask which incoming-service work is involved and whether the utility can support the proposed change. Keep the building authorization, utility requirements and contractor scope together so one approval is not mistaken for all three.
Questions before you agree to work
Does every new load need a larger service?
No universal service size applies to every project. The contractor must assess the existing system and proposed demand, and explain whether a service change, another design or no capacity change is appropriate.
Who arranges utility and ESA steps?
Confirm this in the written scope. Service work may need utility coordination as well as ESA notification and review. Ask the contractor what they arrange and what the owner must supply or authorize.