Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (June 07/02) - The Yellowknife Airport's maintenance garage was closed last week after a concern arose over possible asbestos contamination at the site.

Staff were allowed back into the garage Monday, but some confusion remains with the GNWT over who has jurisdiction at the site.

Daniel Auger, North Slave superintendent of transportation, said both the Workers' Compensation Board and Human Resources Development Canada were notified of the asbestos contamination.

"Right now, we're in a transition period over who has jurisdiction," said Auger. "On the groundside (at the airport), there were some uncertainties there."

WCB inspectors performed a visual inspection of the garage last January or February, but a spokesperson for the board said this week that the "airport is under federal jurisdiction."

Federal jurisdiction covers the RCMP, postal workers, or anyone else directly employed by the federal government, under which falls HRDC for occupational health concerns.

Another spokesperson with WCB later said the January-February inspection was a "courtesy call," and not part of their mandate.

The garage was closed May 30 after workers tore a section out of the ceiling above an adjacent office while rigging a cable to a rooftop antennae the day before.

Some insulation fell from the ceiling, believed to contain asbestos, after which airport officials were notified of the discovery.

"It's an old building," said Auger. "It was common practice to use asbestos as insulation." After initial testing -- completed the same day -- confirmed the insulation contained asbestos the garage was closed until more testing on the building could be completed.

After further tests showed airborne asbestos fibres had not contaminated other parts of the garage it, with the exception of the one contaminated office, was re-opened.

"There was some concern (from maintenance employees), that is why the decision was made to close the building and do other tests," said Auger.

Auger said an asbestos management plan is in the works, after which, a contractor specializing in asbestos removal will be hired to clean up the remaining contaminated office.

HRDC manager Kelvin Mathuik, in Edmonton, said without an internal complaint it will be up to the airport's occupational health and safety committee to determine when it is safe to re-open the remaining contaminated office.

So far, HRDC has not received a complaint, said Mathuik.

"This is not a situation where we will enquire, enquire and enquire," said Mathuik. "We have employers and employees who are sitting on a committee, who have mutually agreed that the place is safe or not safe, and this is what we're going to do."