My question is for the Minister Responsible for Public Works and Services.
There was a technical review done on the Diamond Jenness Secondary School quite a number of years ago which listed items of priority. Code requirements were one of the areas that were listed. Areas of life safety and health were listed separately.
It would appear that for quite some time, the department, through their assessment of this building, was aware that there was asbestos on heating pipes in this building.
Under “Code-required items, if renovation planned, not complete” was:
“Remove asbestos from heating system, piping elbows, and investigate pipe elbows in crawlspace for asbestos. Present asbestos within the facility is non-friable, is encapsulated, identified by signs, and logged in log book. No immediate action required as it is not hazardous to health as long as it is not disturbed.”
I believe that the pipes and the elbows in question where the insulation containing asbestos was compromised were actually covered with duct tape, which apparently is not an acceptable practice.
This situation in the Diamond Jenness School has existed for some time, and it goes to the reason why a renovation retrofit should have been done a long time ago. Asbestos in buildings is a very sensitive issue. It has a long history of information about health risks.
I'd like to know from the Minister why this specific item was never completed, based on previous reports, which brings us to today’s situation where the air handling being fed through the whole building has possibly come in contact with these corroded asbestos-coated pipes?