Ontario Town Receives Aid for Asbestos Removal

Recently, the town of Goderich, Ontario, got word that the Ontario Disaster Relief Fund would provide the $850,000 to compensate for asbestos removal in the town’s court house. The fund was designed for this kind of situation where other funding isn’t available – since the insurance available does not cover this expense.

Tornado Damage

On August 21, 2011, a violent tornado ripped through the picturesque town on the shores of Lake Huron. With winds estimated at 250 to 300 kph, the damage to many of the town’s buildings was extensive. The pretty town has roots that go back generations, and much of the downtown retained the charm of times past in historic storefronts. What goes along with older buildings much of the time, however, is the risk of asbestos contamination.

One of the damaged buildings was the town’s court house, an iconic cement structure at the centre of the town square. After the storm, testing ordered by the Ministry of Labour and Environment Ministry discovered asbestos, necessitating professional removal procedures.

Renovations

The danger from asbestos comes when it becomes friable, or the fibres deteriorate and become airborne. As long as it’s bound up in a mixed material like cement tiles or contained in walls, it’s not considered a threat.

However, it doesn’t take a tornado to disturb or potentially cause damage or deterioration to the asbestos that may exist in your home. Renovations of any kind can disturb materials and cause just the kind of damage that can lead to airborne asbestos fibres.

If your home was built before 1970, then you have to assume that it does contain asbestos. Before any renovation projects, call in the experts from GreenStream Environmental Services for an asbestos inspection. At GreenStream Environmental Services, we offer professional vermiculite and asbestos remediation services to help you contain and then rid yourself of this problem.

In the Toronto area contact GreenStreamEnvironmental.ca at (416) 818-9414.

Featured in Mike Holmes’ magazine, HGTV’s Income Properties, W Network’s Love It Or List It and chosen by Homestars.com as “Best Toronto Asbestos Removal Company” based on customer ratings and reviews, GreenStream Environmental Services are fully-certified, trusted and insured professionals in the removal and disposal of commercial, industrial, institutional and residential asbestos, vermiculite and mould (hazardous and non-hazardous). Providing emergency service 24/7/365 for all of Toronto and the GTA (North York, Mississauga, Markham, Brampton, Scarborough, Ajax, Oshawa, and beyond) GreenStream has over 40 combined years of experience serving clients such as the City of Toronto, the Toronto District School Board and many more. For a free estimate in Toronto, the GTA and Southern Ontario, call today at 416-818-9414.  You’ll be glad you did.