A public registry for buildings containing asbestos

All forms of asbestos cause cancer. One step in ensuring Canadians are not exposed to this harmful substance is to create a free and easily accessible public registry of all buildings in Canada that contain asbestos.

Not knowing which buildings contain asbestos means that workers can be exposed to the substance during demolition or renovations, and homeowners can’t take steps to protect themselves.

Once it’s known that a building contains asbestos, appropriate action can be taken to protect people from this substance.

Most Canadians are sending a clear message to the federal government:

82% say a public registry of buildings containing asbestos is important.
78% say it’s the responsibility of the federal government to create a public registry.

Watch this video to learn what to do if you find asbestos – and join the Canadian Cancer Society in the fight for a public registry of buildings that contain asbestos.

Calling for a mandatory public registry for asbestos in Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is the first province in Canada to set up an online registry for reporting asbestos in public buildings. Asbestos is the leading cause of industrial cancer deaths in Canada. A third of occupational cancer deaths are caused by asbestos.

However there are currently no legal requirements for schools, health care facilities, and other public places to submit a list of their buildings to that registry.

Several Saskatchewan organizations are advocating for a change to The Public Health Amendment Act to make reporting asbestos mandatory through an electronic registry accessible to the public.

Sign our petition