Asbestos, which can cause lung cancer and mesothelioma when inhaled, is present in many of the buildings at the Canadian Forces School of Communications and Electronics (CFSCE) in Kingston, Ont., according to the Department of National Defence (DND).
DND says in an Inquiry of Ministry tabled in the House of Commons on May 15 that all 13 buildings at CFSCE were built between 1935 and 2012, with the average age being about 60 years.
“Given that many of the buildings were constructed before 1990, there is asbestos present in many of the buildings,” says the Inquiry.
The document states that DND has introduced a program intended to “identify, seal, and remediate asbestos containing materials” in accordance with Health Canada’s guidelines.
“However, the presence of asbestos limits the types of interventions and resulting timelines that can be undertaken when buildings are occupied,” the department adds.
The Inquiry says that the last assessment of CFSCE’s buildings was conducted in 2017. At the time, the buildings’ condition ratings ranged from poor to fair to good.
“Many factors lead to the conditions of the buildings, including their age and the ability to get replacement parts,” DND writes, citing a number of “common issues” that often arise due to the buildings being outdated.
Besides the ongoing asbestos problem, DND also says the buildings’ most common issues include “roof and window leaks, alarm failures,” and problems with ventilation, heating, and air conditioning systems.
It also says there are often plumbing issues and a good deal of “general upkeep” needed, such as “patching and painting walls, ceiling tiles and flooring replacement.”
The Epoch Times reported in November 2022 on a number of health and safety risks associated with CFSCE’s buildings listed in an internal document that gave detailed descriptions of the school’s repair needs.
Issues listed included exposed black mould and asbestos dust in some of the school’s buildings, along with mice infestations. The document said some black mould had been found growing in student showers, change rooms, and ceilings, adding that one building was “unsafe for daily occupation” due to mould.
At the time, Canadian Forces Base Kingston Deputy Commander Lieutenant-Colonel Christopher Durant said CFSCE had a number of plans in place to address building issues and that there were “several multi-million-dollar projects” ongoing intended to remediate the situation.
DND said in the Inquiry document that the Canadian Forces’ Real Property Operations Unit (RPOU) Kingston detachment is set to do $16 million worth of repair projects and another $16 million worth of recapitalization projects this fiscal year.
DND adds that the RPOU Kingston detachment also has six projects planned this year valued at over $2 million aimed at upgrading the “out of date components in quarters used by CFSCE.”