MPP Bailey Introduces Bill to Ban Asbestos Use in Ontario

QUEEN’S PARK – On Thursday, Sarnia-Lambton MPP Bob Bailey introduced a Private Member’s Bill at Queen’s Park that would ban any future use of asbestos in Ontario.

Bill 88 – The Asbestos Use Prohibition Act, 2016, calls for a ban on the use, reuse, import, transport or sale of asbestos in Ontario.  Bill 88 also requires the province to create a register of all provincially owned or leased buildings containing asbestos, similar to a register that the Province of Saskatchewan launched in 2015.

Health Canada warns that exposure to asbestos, particularly by breathing in asbestos fibers, can cause cancer and other diseases such as: asbestosis; lung cancer; and mesothelioma.  In January 2016, Stats Canada released data showing that the numbers of cases and deaths from mesothelioma in Canada continue to rise.  It is estimated that more than 2000 Canadians will die from mesothelioma this year.

Despite such facts, asbestos continues to be imported into Canada. The Globe and Mail reported earlier this year that $4.3 million in asbestos containing products (and even raw asbestos) was imported into Canada in the first 8 months of 2016.  If passed into law, MPP Bailey’s Asbestos Use Prohibition Act would make sure that none of that asbestos finds its way into Ontario.

“In my riding of Sarnia-Lambton there are many, many families who have buried loved ones because of the mesothelioma they developed from exposure to asbestos while at work,” said MPP Bailey after introducing Bill 88.   “There is no justifiable reason to continue to use asbestos containing products. My hope is that Premier Wynne and her government will take immediate action to adopt my bill into provincial law. Waiting for the Trudeau government to act on its promise of a national ban risks further exposures,” added MPP Bailey.

MPP Bailey has launched an online petition in support of Bill 88 at his website www.bobbaileympp.com.

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Links:

Bill 88 – http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/bills/bills_detail.do?locale=en&Intranet=&BillID=4478

Asbestos Ban Petition: http://bobbaileympp.com/2016/12/08/3033/

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