Lead in ventilation system forces temporary move of health clinic in Grande Prairie

The Grande Prairie Public Health Clinic closed after lead dust was found in its HVAc system at the provincial building in Grande Prairie, Alta. on Friday, May 9, 2025. The clinic has been relocated to the Queen Elizabeth II (QEII) Ambulatory Care Centre. (Photo by Jesse Boily)

Lead was found in the HVAC system of the Grande Prairie Provincial Building, which has led to the temporary relocation of the Grande Prairie Public Health Clinic to the Queen Elizabeth II (QEII) Ambulatory Care Centre.

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Alberta Health Services (AHS) said the clinic was temporarily closed on April 30 “due to indoor air quality issues.”

“During work related to HVAC upgrades at the Grande Prairie Provincial Building, it was determined that there was lead paint on select components of the items being upgraded, and levels of lead in dust were found in various locations within the building,” read an advisory on the entrance of the clinic Friday.

United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) released a statement on May 8 saying the findings are deeply concerning.

“UNA is using every tool at its disposal to ensure the Government of Alberta’s Department of Infrastructure and the private building management company are held accountable and take immediate action to remove the lead from the HVAC system,” said UNA in a media release.

“It is critical that the government and health-care employers ensure this does not happen again at this worksite or any others.”

An Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) report circulating online details the response to finding lead in the building’s HVAC system after renovations were conducted on the air handling unit.

OHS is now requiring the property manager, BGIS, to cease operation of the ventilation system in the provincial building until the company provides OHS with results of professional testing that demonstrates each of the involved air handling systems and surface areas, including visitor areas, no longer contain lead.

OHS first found that lead may have entered the HVAC system in September 2024 when upgrades to the building’s air handling unit were being conducted and “the project had not been conducted in a way that ensured that lead dust could not enter the opened ducting of the air handling system.

“Air monitoring provided during the project could not be relied upon as it was not done properly,” reads the OHS report.

In October, surface wipes of the building were conducted, and lead levels were found to be above 40 ug/ft2 (micrograms per square foot) in certain areas. One area of the building had measurements as high as 1,486 ug/ft2, and 28 of 36 samples were above 40 ug/ft2.

The testing company recommended that the the surfaces in the mechanical rooms on the main and third floor and all HVAC supply and return ducts be cleaned and decontaminated.

An additional test was conducted, and more areas were found above the 40 ug/ft2 threshold.

The testing company then recommended that even more areas be cleaned.

Additional testing was done in November, and three of five surface samples taken on the ventilation system were found to be above the clearance level.

A second service company reviewed the reports and concurred with its findings.

According to the OHS report, air testing had not been done while the HVAC unit was operational.

BGIS said the HVAC unit was not operated since Oct. 31 and would not be used until abatement was complete, according to the report.

On Jan. 30, OHS met with BGIS, and the property management company said a tendering process for hiring a company to complete the cleaning was underway.

BGIS then hired an additional company to conduct surface testing and had a previous company review the results. Deficiencies in the sampling were found.

A previous sampling company was used on Feb. 27 to conduct surface samples and air quality measurements. OHS says no sampling for lead was done in the air.

Town & Country News requested information about the mitigation efforts and whether air quality issues only affected a portion of the provincial building or if other attached buildings, such as the courthouse, were affected.

BGIS directed the News to the provincial Ministry of Infrastructure with any questions.

The News then contacted the Ministry of Infrastructure and received a partial response from the Ministry of Jobs, Economy and Trade.

“The health and safety of Alberta’s workers is our government’s top priority,” said Jobs, Economy and Trade to the News in an email.

“Alberta has some of the highest workplace health and safety standards in the world - and we expect those standards to be upheld in every workplace across the province.

“As this is an active OHS investigation, no further information can be provided at this time.”

The ministry didn’t respond to the News’ questions about the estimated timeline of the closure, current measures and how many services will be affected.

On Friday, it appeared that the building was open except at the public health entrance.

Jesse Boily, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Town & Country News