Polaris building comes down
Crews demolish remaining structure after fire; concerns about asbestos, other hazardous materials addressed, says contractor
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Although there very well may be asbestos in the rubble of the Polaris apartment building, the man overseeing the building's demolition said proper precautions have been taken to make sure workers and the public are not exposed to it.
An excavator tears into what's left of the Polaris apartment building last Friday. Air quality monitors were set up around the site as there were concerns that asbestos could be released during the demolition. - John McFadden/NNSL photo |
John Oldfield, owner and general manager of KBL environmental said four air quality monitors have been set up on the corners of the fence line surrounding what's left of the building that was destroyed by fire on June 14. Crews began tearing down the building last Friday and work was to continue this week.
However, the demolition had to be halted on Monday and Tuesday because the roadways at the dump became too muddy for the trucks carrying debris to navigate, Oldfield said.
He added that the rain the city received this week has in fact helped keep the dust down.
"We have two different styles of monitors, one is monitoring asbestos, asbestos fibres in the air and the others ones are monitoring particulates in the air, so whether it's asbestos or just dust in general," Oldfield said.
"We're trying to keep the levels of dust down in the area because it's such a busy corner. The gentleman with the hazmat (hazardous materials) suit and respirator on is because he's working directly in the pile - he wears a monitor himself and he's been well below the levels for alarm."
Results from the air quality monitors are recorded daily and submitted to the Workers Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC) for review.
"Typically, when you do an asbestos abatement job within a building you tarp it in - you secure it so nothing can be released.
"Obviously short of building a great big tent over everything - that wasn't an option - so that's the reason for the extent of the air monitoring," Oldfield said. "I'm very confident that the public is not at risk."
According to a Government of Canada website, breathing in asbestos fibres can cause cancer. Up until 1990, according to the website, asbestos was used for insulating buildings against cold and noise.
This is KBL's first large-scale asbestos job, Oldfield said. He expects the demolition work to be completed by Friday.
There is a specified area at the dump where the building debris is being offloaded, due to its asbestos content.
"It goes to a special spot and they cover it with dirt right away," Oldfield said.
There was no chance any of the building's former residents were going to be able to access the site to look for valuables as the demolition work was occurring.
On June 19, the WSCC issued imminent danger directions as part of an inspection report on the building following the fire that caused significant damage, rendering the complex structurally unstable. Using information provided by owner Northern Property REIT, including their assessment of the site, WSCC safety officers deemed the property to be a risk to the health and safety of persons employed on or in connection with the apartment building. As of June 19, Polaris Apartments remained closed to all persons other than those hired to further assess and remediate the site, stated WSCC.
"I sympathize with the residents and understand they want to enter the property to retrieve their personal belongings," stated Judy Kainz, WSCC director of prevention services on July 19. "Our job is to ensure that everyone remains safe.
"It is not safe to enter the building."
Kim Walker, communications manager for WSCC, stated in an e-mail on Monday that the demolition work plan included proper procedures for dealing with all hazards.
Kelly Hayden, vice-president at Northern Property, said the company does not know what, if any, hazardous materials are at the site.
"Because the building was unstable, we couldn't go into it so we deemed the whole thing to be worse-case, so they are treating it as a hazardous waste site," said Hayden. "We don't really know what's in there."
Meanwhile, Yellowknifer has learned that the only Polaris resident who was hospitalized due to the fire has now been released from Stanton Territorial Hospital. Her name has never been publicly released.
