University of Toronto experiences major Asbestos leak during renovation, fires longtime contractor

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University of Toronto’s 50-year-old Medical Sciences Building was undergoing major renovation when multiple leaks of asbestos fibers were discovered.

According to the CBC:

The vice president of university operations, Scott Mabury, told CBC Toronto the contractor, which he refused to name, is no longer continuing its asbestos removal work in the 50-year-old building and will not be given any further contracts on the St. George campus.

“We have zero tolerance. And this is a contractor who’s worked on this campus for a long time, multiple years — never had an issue before. We’ve never had a breach like this. In the last 10 years that I was able to look, we’ve never had a problem like this,” said Mabury, who is also a professor of environmental chemistry.

“So we needed to send a strong message.”

Published by Brian L. Hill

As Director of Consulting Services for Xpera Group, Brian L. Hill connects clients to the diverse range of experts, technical specialists, tools and other resources that the firm has to offer in order to solve complex building performance issues. He is also the editor and publisher of AECforensics.com, which dissects the latest news and information impacting quality and risk management in the built environment.

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