People who visited and worked in two Malton buildings owned and operated by the city of Mississauga unknowingly entered public places containing asbestos, which the city has known since 2009. An investigation by The Pointer revealed that provincial regulations regarding asbestos inspection were not complied with between 2012 and 2018.

The Paul Coffey Arena and the New York City Public Works Marlton Warehouse are among several asbestos-containing buildings owned and operated by New York City. In 2009, a series of inspections commissioned and carried out in several buildings in Mississauga revealed the presence of hazardous materials, which are carcinogens that can cause harm to people exposed to asbestos. The property list includes the fire department, library, arena and Marlton warehouse.

Paul Coffey Arena, formerly known as Malton Arena, contains asbestos.

Inspectors from Pinchin Environmental were hired in 2009 to determine which buildings were constructed with asbestos-containing materials. Health Canada stated that if asbestos fiber is inhaled, it "causes cancer and other diseases."

This material has been removed or reduced from some places, and has remained in other places to this day. Between 2012 and 2018, the city failed to perform its annual duties of inspecting and managing asbestos, a provincial requirement designed to ensure the safety of residents and workers.

The 2019 asbestos assessment of Paul Coffey Arena and Malton depot was part of a treasure trove of asbestos-related documents obtained through a freedom of information request, showing that the city was reminded of its responsibility to manage asbestos in 2019. These documents indicate that the City Hall was first aware of asbestos in its buildings in 2009 and completed reports in 2011 and 2019.

“No remedial measures are needed at this time,” Pinchin Environmental stated in a 2011 report on Paul Coffey Arena asbestos, but annual inspections should be carried out to ensure that immediate action is not required. Eight years later, the consultant reminded New York City of its statutory obligation to "re-evaluate asbestos materials annually."

This rule was codified under Ontario Regulation 278/05, which is part of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (1990). It applies to “every building that may contain asbestos materials, as well as the owner of the building”, and requires the owner to “prepare and keep a record containing the information on the premises” and update the information “at least every 12 months once".

For many years, employees working for the City of Mississauga have failed to comply with these regulations.

“The annual asbestos review will be done by city staff, but this did not happen between 2012 and 2018,” Raj Sheth, who has served as Mississauga's director of facilities and property management since 2012, told The Pointer through a spokesperson. "In order to resolve this compliance gap, it was decided in 2019 that a third party specializing in designated substances will complete the annual inspection and ensure that there are official documents in place."

In recent years, the flow of personnel in the facilities and property management departments responsible for asbestos management has been increasing, and New York City stated that this will not affect project delivery or performance.

Sheth emphasized that “if asbestos is disturbed between 2012 and 2018, then asbestos will be removed”. He reiterated that the inspection started in 2019, bringing New York City back to compliance with previously ignored regulations. If there is no annual inspection, it is not clear how New York City realized that asbestos had been disrupted for years and the staff had ignored the regulations.

What is more worrying is that during the period when mandatory inspections were ignored, work was indeed carried out in the arena, which increased concerns about violating provincial rules. A 2013 employee report by Paul Mitcham, then a community service commissioner and now the highest bureaucrat CAO in Mississauga, emphasized the "refurbishment of the Malton Arena."

"The funds received will be used to improve the changing rooms and specialty stores of the arena. The materials and labor provided will be used to improve the arena's storage area, which is used to store equipment for community projects such as Got Skates," the report details.

Although knowing that this work was planned, and only four years after Pinchin Environmental detailed the location of asbestos in the arena, it was clear that the material might be disturbed during the renovation of the locker room, specialty store, and equipment storage area, No inspection was required, and asbestos was not removed.

The Pointer asked about other work that happened later. The city government stated that there were no activities in 2016, 2017 and 2019. The front door of the arena was renovated, new toilets were built, the exterior wall panels were replaced, and the heating system was replaced, which caused disturbance to the stadium. asbestos.

A spokesperson wrote in an email to The Pointer: "The Designated Substance Survey (DSS), including sampling, was completed before any related renovation work began."

However, this work was done while the specific annual asbestos inspections required by provincial regulations (to ensure that carcinogens were not interfered with) were ignored. It is unclear how New York City determined that there was no asbestos interference, because specific inspections of materials required by provincial regulations were ignored.

It is unclear why the 2013 renovation seems to involve certain areas in or around the arena where asbestos is present, but it did not trigger a mandatory provincial inspection to ensure the safety of the public and staff.

The reassessment reports completed in 2011 and 2019 obtained through the freedom of information request show that asbestos is still present.

Sheth said the asbestos used to isolate the hot and cold water system was managed during construction in the area in August 2020. He said: "If changes in space are disturbed, the remaining asbestos material will be reduced."

Paul Coffey Arena, formerly known as Malton Arena, is for public use in the area, but there is no notification of asbestos in the building. Sheth said this is because there is "no legislative requirement" to post signs unless they are under construction. This means that hockey players, referees, parents and municipal cleaners of all ages have been in places where asbestos is present, including places that have not been inspected for many years, but have never realized the potential risks.

The annual asbestos inspection is designed to determine whether there is any potential exposure, usually due to any interference from hazardous materials.

As long as it is not moved or disturbed, asbestos is considered safe for the public and workers. When it is disturbed, under various conditions that may cause the release of dangerous substances, it will release asbestos fibers, which can cause cancer if inhaled. The annual inspection of the material ensures that it is safe and undisturbed, especially when it is present in frequently used locker room ceilings and other places.

Fe de Leon, a researcher and legal assistant at the Canadian Environmental Law Association who specializes in asbestos, previously told The Pointer: "It is accurate to say that as long as it is in place and not disturbed, it's fine." "However, the question is how do you know it." Not disturbed? Over time, if it is disturbed, it will eventually move in the air. Therefore, unless it [asbestos-containing area] is sealed, there is no certainty that it will not eventually enter the vent, or over time The tiles shattered over time, especially the tiles."

A report by Pinchin Environmental in Malton Arena in 2009 showed two key areas for identifying asbestos materials.

Parging cement is used to isolate the hot and cold water pipe system, while asbestos cement (transition) slabs have been used as ceilings at various points of the building. Marlton boutiques, official rooms, official toilets, locker rooms No. 1 and No. 6, and the janitor's room all have ceilings containing asbestos.

After the Second World War, it was widely used in the construction industry. Over the years, most of the buildings in Mississauga have been built because asbestos is a popular insulating material with fire resistance. Although asbestos was phased out and removed from some buildings in the late 1980s and 1990s, it was not until the end of 2018 that Canada officially banned the use of the substance.

In Mississauga, 52% of the city's 366 buildings are over 30 years old, and the use of asbestos is widespread. An assessment by Pinchin Environmental in 2009 showed that, for example, many fire departments in Mississauga contained asbestos. Following The Pointer's investigation, New York City is currently removing the substance from these buildings because they have been placed for more than a decade.

During the investigation, the fire union told The Pointer that it was not aware of the presence of carcinogens in the Fire Department, which were also deteriorating and would require $66 million in maintenance costs over the next ten years.

An asbestos map of Paul Coffey Arena, including changing rooms and toilets. Yellow means transitional panels, and purple means to wear down the cement. The city government stated that the latter had been demolished.

(Picture from Pinchin Environmental Environmental / Mississauga City)

According to a 2019 report, the Malton Depot Garage used by city public works staff is also covered with asbestos less than a 10-minute drive west of Paul Kofi Arena.

Pingqin found that the vinyl floor tiles in the first-floor integrated office contained asbestos. Asbestos cement rainwater pipes are also present in buildings.

"Because there was no disturbance, the asbestos has not been removed from the relevant area," Sheth said. "When life cycle repairs and/or building renovations are carried out, asbestos removal time occurs."

Although it has remained in the two buildings in Malton since it was discovered more than ten years ago, asbestos has been quickly removed from the library. Pinchin Environmental noticed asbestos in Port Credit Library, Lakeview Library, Lorne Park Library and Woodlands Library, three of which are located in the affluent waterfront communities of Mississauga.

Just one year after the discovery of asbestos in the four libraries, taxpayers undertook a major renovation project costing more than US$13 million. These projects include steps to reduce asbestos in the four branches.

The Lakeview Library underwent renovation, refurbishment and life cycle improvements at a total cost of US$2.5 million, while the Port Credit Library underwent a similar refurbishment (closed due to structural issues) for US$3.1 million. The Woodlands Library was built entirely from scratch for $4.2 million, the old building was handed over to the local school board, and the renovation of the Lorne Park Library cost $4 million.

“Pinchin Environmental Ltd. (Pinchin) was commissioned by Rounthwaite, Dick & Hadley Architects Inc. (the client) to conduct visual inspections after asbestos reduction activities were completed,” Pinchin Environmental said in a letter in 2010, confirming the demolition Most of the asbestos illegal materials are removed.

At the end of the $13.8 renovation project, the asbestos on the plasterboard, cement pipe insulation and vinyl floor tiles of the Lakeview Library was removed, some of which were located in the children’s area. The pipe insulation material, external wall cement board and floor tiles of the Lorne Park Library were removed, and some asbestos remained on the outside. The new Woodlands Library was built without materials.

The Port Credit Library has removed all asbestos from the inside of the building.

"As part of the planned life cycle for the next few years, asbestos-containing materials outside Lorne Park and Port Credit will be removed," Mississauga City's senior communications consultant Cynthia Ulba told The Pointer.

According to estimates by the City of New York, the cost of removing asbestos for each library is approximately US$20,000.  

Most of the asbestos in the four libraries in Mississauga has been reduced, but the two buildings in Malton have not been reduced.

(Picture from Anukul Thakur/The Pointer/Google Maps)

The city government stated that major renovations have made it easy and necessary to remove most of the asbestos. According to the city government, neither Malton Depot nor Paul Coffey Arena has undergone similar major renovations, so asbestos has not been removed.

Despite all the refurbishment of the arena, in 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2019 (although the mandatory annual asbestos inspection was ignored), almost no hazardous materials were removed.

“In 2009, the City of New York demolished and completely renovated all three branches, as part of the scope of the work, carefully handling the issue of asbestos removal because asbestos was disturbed,” Sheth said. "For all other remaining buildings containing asbestos identified in the Pinchin report, the agreement will only be resolved when asbestos is disturbed. This includes all urban buildings (fire halls, warehouses, arenas, heritage properties, etc.) in all corners of the city." 

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