The federal government is offering reassurances regarding the possible presence of asbestos at the Guy-Favreau Complex in Montreal. The analysis reports on this subject have finally been provided to the unions that requested them, as well as to local occupational health and safety committees.
“The reports have been provided to union representatives on local health and safety committees over the past few weeks, and Public Services and Procurement Canada also granted (Friday) direct access to these documents to unions that requested them,” the department said.
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Last week, the Quebec branch of the Public Service Alliance of Canada denounced the employers’ lack of transparency, stating that it had not received the analysis reports concerning the presence of asbestos in this important federal building in downtown Montreal. Its members were also concerned about their health.
Although the federal government had already indicated that recent tests did not show the presence of asbestos, the union refused to simply take its word for it; it insisted on having access to the full reports on the matter.
The PSAC-Quebec confirmed Wednesday that it had received the requested reports. Its regional executive vice-president for Quebec, Sébastien Paquette, welcomed the federal government’s “change of attitude” on this issue.
Since the Alliance’s public statement last week, “we’ve had meetings; we’ve received documents, and, at first glance, it seems positive,” admitted Paquette. He added that the documentation in question is quite voluminous and is currently being analyzed by the union’s experts.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
