Asbestos Awareness Week ended on Monday. The week aims to bring awareness of the use of asbestos in buildings worldwide, including here in Weyburn. While it hasn’t been used in construction for decades, it is still present in a number of buildings.
Here in Saskatchewan, all publicly owned buildings that have asbestos, or may have asbestos-containing material are listed on the Provincial Asbestos Registry. Available online, the tool shows 73 buildings within Weyburn where asbestos may be present. Of those 73 are dozens of homes are owned by the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation.
In all, there are 59 properties owned by the SHC that are on the registry, for having or possibly having asbestos and asbestos-containing material. While the material is not considered dangerous unless disrupted, tenants say they were never notified about its presence, despite legislation meant to ensure public awareness.
Under Howard’s Law, passed in 2013, the Saskatchewan government created a public registry of buildings that contain asbestos. The law requires that public sector employers, like the SHC, identify and report asbestos-containing materials in their buildings and make that information publicly accessible. The law was designed to protect workers and occupants from unintentional exposure.
Roger Parenteau, Executive Director of Housing Operations with the Ministry of Social Services, said SHC relies on the public registry to fulfill its duty of disclosure.
“We’re relying on the registry for tenants,” he said in an interview with Discover Weyburn. “We advise them to view the registry if their unit has the risk of having asbestos-containing materials in it.”
Parenteau emphasized that undisturbed asbestos is not considered a health risk and that tenants are not permitted to alter their units under the terms of their lease.
“When asbestos stays in place and is in good condition, it’s not a risk to occupants of a home,” he said. “It’s when you start doing work... where the risk begins.”
He added that SHC conducts testing and abatement when renovations are required, such as during flooring replacement or unit turnover.
“We do advance testing so that contractors are aware… and we take the necessary measures to do the abatement before the work proceeds.”
But several Weyburn tenants say this approach doesn’t go far enough.
One tenant who has lived in an SHC property for four years said she was never told her home contained asbestos.
“I am concerned about the health of my family,” she said, asking not to be named.
Another long-term tenant expressed frustration at the lack of proactive communication.
“I was never advised to look to see if the property was listed on the asbestos registry,” he said. “I wasn’t even aware there was such a registry.”
While the registry is available online, it is not routinely sent to tenants or posted within housing units. Critics argue this passive model of disclosure does not meet the spirit of Howard’s Law, which was passed in memory of Howard Willems, a Saskatchewan building inspector who died of mesothelioma.
Parenteau said SHC is working to expand tenant education, but did not specify any timeline for formal notification or direct outreach.