Canada-Wide Asbestos Inventory 'A Positive Step,' Say Health Advocates

"CBC's map detailing the federal buildings across the country containing asbestos has been updated with hundreds of new entries to reflect the newly released National Asbestos Inventory from Public Services and Procurement Canada.

Our map now includes more than 800 federal properties, including major airports, passport offices, shopping malls and office buildings.

After years of lobbying, an official public inventory of Canadian government buildings containing asbestos is now available online —and workplace health and safety advocates say the document is a good start.   

The government's major property owner, Public Services and Procurement Canada (formerly Public Works), has developed the National Asbestos Inventory, which lists all the buildings owned or leased by the department and indicates whether or not they contain asbestos.

For more than a decade, public health, political and labour groups have called for a national public registry of buildings that contain asbestos — a known carcinogen."

Julie Ireton reports for CBC News October 3, 2016.