Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Contractors working for the territorial government have been ordered to stop the removal of asbestos from the former home of the Native Women's Association after the work being done was deemed unsafe by the Workers Safety and Compensation Commission of the NWT and Nunavut.

The building at 5017 49 St. was home to the Native Women's Association of the NWT until recently but the organization moved after the building was sold to the territorial government. The government plans to build a new office building using that site and the adjoining lot where the former Pentecostal Church stood until last fall.

The discovery of asbestos was made by a previous leaseholder of the building as it was about to be sold to the government, and the decision to shut the doors and board up the windows was made immediately afterwards, although it's unclear exactly when that occurred.

The Native Women's Association is now moved into an office at 4902 Franklin Ave. The association's website states that the organization was formed in 1972 but it's not clear how long the organization has occupied the building.

The Native Women's Association website states there are nine employees and 14 board members, including two youth representatives, two elders, and 51 total members, plus numerous partner organizations and agencies that all currently work for the association.

Representatives from the Native Women's Association were not available as of press time.

The workers safety commission conducted an inspection of the work being carried out by a contractor tasked with removing the asbestos on July 20, and shut down further removal operations until it can be proved that the work can be done safely, said Kim MacEachern, senior communications officer for the commission.

"Prior to a demolition, standard practice is to remove hazardous materials from the site, which would include asbestos ... and that's normal process," she said.

"One of our safety officers was conducting a site inspection and at that time identified some deficiencies of the contractor's asbestos removal practice procedures ... They issued a stop-work order to provide an opportunity to rectify their procedures and prevent risk of asbestos exposure to the contractor's workers."

Three warning stickers have been placed on the windows on the now-vacant building, issuing a notice to the public not to enter the building.

Respirators are required when entering the building and eating, drinking and smoking in the building are strictly prohibited.

According to the World Health Organization, "all forms of asbestos are carcinogenic to humans, and may cause mesothelioma and cancer of the lung, larynx and ovary. Asbestos exposure is also responsible for other diseases, such as asbestosis (fibrosis of the lungs), pleural plaques, thickening and effusions."

Despite the stop-work order, the government still plans to demolish the building by the end of the month, according to an official with the Department of Public Works, who asked not to be named.

She said asbestos abatement is standard in all buildings owned by the GNWT, and there was no risk to employees in the building as the asbestos had not been disturbed.

The asbestos is located in the building's walls.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.