Asbestos Information
To comply with new asbestos legislation, co-ops in Ontario must determine if there are asbestos containing materials in their buildings, including units. If asbestos is found, an asbestos management program must be put in place and maintained. If asbestos is not found, a management program is not needed.
November 1st, 2007 is the deadline to complete an inspection to identify materials that may contain asbestos. If your co-op cannot meet this deadline, it must demonstrate that there is a plan to do an inspection. Another option is to assume all suspect materials are asbestos containing and put an asbestos management program in place. Prioritize inspection of any areas that will be disturbed by repairs or maintenance.
There is much more to this regulation, but for the purpose of getting the process started, I have been researching companies that do asbestos inspections. A list follows this memo. The companies are not listed in any order and I do not recommend one over another. All the companies listed have extensive experience in this field.
The first asbestos legislation came into effect in 1984. If your co-op was built after this and you think it does not have any asbestos containing materials, that may not be the case. There could be asbestos in building materials used after 1985. Buildings constructed after 1990 might have asbestos cement, commonly found in mechanical rooms. For newer buildings, some companies will prioritize inspection of common areas. Some companies will inspect a cross section of units. Some will inspect all units. All companies will take samples for testing.
The cost of inspections will be affected by:
- age of building
- total square footage
- number of units
- list of common areas
- number of samples taken for testing
Look for a breakdown of cost and the cost per sample to be included in the proposal. One company suggested a minimum of 30 - 50 samples to be taken for testing. In the event that not all samples are tested, the contract should offer an adjustment or credit. Older buildings will need more samples taken.
If you have any questions about the legislation, asbestos or the inspections, you can ask any of these companies. Some of them provide seminars or online information.
Jacques Whitford Ltd. - has regional offices (see list below) that cover all of Ontario; no central toll-free number
- Markham Office
Steve Fulford, Senior Project Manager 905 474-7732 or 905 474-7700, 416 709-7878 - cell
steve.fulford@jacqueswhitford.com - Burlington Office
Ola Folami, Project Scientist - 905 631-8684
(Peel-Halton, Burlington, Oakville, Acton, Mississauga, Georgetown, Hamilton, St Catherines, Stoney Creek, Welland, Niagara) - Waterloo Office
Steve Roberts, Senior Consultant - 519 569-8684
(Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, London, Woodstock, all central Ontario) - Ottawa Office
Todd Irick, Project Scientist - 613 738-0708
(Ottawa, Kingston, Kanata, all Eastern Ontario) - Barrie Office
Neil Macdermott, Project Scientist - 705 719-1813
(Thunder Bay, Orillia, Barrie, Collingwood) - Sudbury Office
Jeff Wright, Environmental Technologist - 705 524-2192
(North Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste Marie, Timmins, Elliot Lake, northern Ontario)
Sarnia Office
Susan MacFarlane, Environmental Engineer - 519 344-1972 (Windsor, Chatham, Essex, Tilbury)
Safetech Environmental
1 877 468-6735; service all of Ontario
Romeo Milano - 905 624-2722 or rmilano@safetechenv.com
T. Harris Environmental
1 888 275-8436; service all of Ontario
Mario Moraino, Senior Project Manager - mmoraino@tharris.ca
ECHOH Management
1 866 231-6855; service all of Ontario
John Kocjan, Senior Project Manager - 905 795-2800, extension 228 or jkocjan@echo.ca
HSI Solutions
1 866 906-9474 (24 hour emergency number); service all of Ontario
Sam Bryks, Director of Environmental Services - 416 921-3625, press 1, extension 338 then press # sam.bryks@hsisolutions.ca
Building Health Centre Inc.
1 888 633-1690; do not service northern Ontario
Shawn Ellis, service@buildinghealth.org
Lex Scientific Inc.
1 800 824-7082, extension 223; service all of Ontario; have own lab
Michael Hoffbauer - principal of company
OHE Consultants
1 866 643-4364; service all of Ontario
Fred Atrash - principal of company, fredatrash@oheconsultants.com
Pinchin Environmental
1 888 767-3330; service all of Ontario; have own lab
Jeff Lainsbury - extension 1350