It appears the comforts of safe drinking water is not something being afforded to some National Defence employees in downtown Ottawa. In a photo obtained by CTV News, a water fountain inside the National Defence Headquarters building is seen covered up by plastic sheets and tape with a “Danger” sign warning of asbestos attached. A source employed at the building said multiple water fountains on different floors were blocked off, with notes on other fountains advising employees to use bottled water instead. “Our members should never have to go into work and worry that their workplace could have an impact on their long-term health,” said James Potts, vice-president of the Ontario Region for the Union of National Defence Employees (UNDE). “It’s not surprising that this would be on multiple floors. This (asbestos) is present in most of our buildings unfortunately.” Asbestos was used in building materials before 1990 and has since been banned in Canada for causing cancer and lung diseases. Health Canada says there are no significant health risks if materials containing asbestos are left undisturbed, sealed behind walls or floorboards, or tightly bound in products that are in good condition. But the unions representing employees in the DND headquarters building say removing it entirely will take years, meaning staff will have to work alongside it. Potts adds that the department could have better communicated the asbestos situation to employees given that work was taking place on water fountains. “The employer has the responsibility to communicate those hazards. While putting up a sign might be adequate to meet the law. It doesn’t do anything to alleviate the concerns of the occupants of the building.” CTV News reached out to the Department of National Defence for comment but did not receive a response. As federal government workers are mandated back into the office four days a week, there are concerns that remodelling offices to create more space will lead to more asbestos exposure. “I think that with bringing more people back to the office and having to repair, you are creating an increased hazard. Absolutely. It needs to be mitigated properly. And people need to know that they’re safe before taking residency in an office space,” Potts said. “What’s really important, especially with this push to return federal public service workers into these workspaces with these mandates, is making sure that the employer is living up to their responsibilities,” said Ruth Lau MacDonald, PSAC Regional Executive Vice-President for the National Capital Region. “Is it more than, ‘do I have a seat?’ It’s, ‘is it safe for me to go into work? Is the air clean? Is there mold? Are there pests?’” Potts says UNDE became aware of the exposure of asbestos in the building at 101 Colonel By Drive a couple of months ago and has been working with the federal government to ensure safety standards are upheld. But at this time there is no timeline to completely rid DND buildings of asbestos. “We are going to cohabitate with asbestos for the foreseeable future,” said Potts.
