A significant number of the public servants in Ottawa are working in buildings with asbestos on a daily basis.
Half of the federal buildings of the capital contain the carcinogen, according to a report done by Public Services and Procurement Canada.
Public services Minister Judy Foote promised the report after years of pressure from labour and health groups. The document also includes a strategy to eventually remove asbestos in the public buildings.
Denis St-Jean, the national health and safety officer for the Public Service Alliance of Canada, told the Ottawa citizen he had advocated for the registry to enable workers to find out if they are at risk of being exposed to asbestos in their work environment.
“Having this list made public, makes it easier for workers in exercising their right to know,” he said. “It also protects future contractors during future renovations, for example, from being exposed without prior knowledge of the presence of asbestos.”
There are 458 federal buildings located in Gatineau and Ottawa, making the National Capital Region the largest concentration of public buildings that contain asbestos.
Most of the public buildings were built more than 50 years ago, at a time when asbestos was commonly used in construction.
Each year, more than 2,000 Canadians are diagnosed with Mesothelioma cancer — the type that develops from asbestos exposure. Due to the disease taking between 20 and 50 years to manifest, experts don’t expect this number to decrease for several more years.