Saskatchewan backs mandatory asbestos registry for public buildings

REGINA – The Saskatchewan government says it will back proposed legislation to make reporting of asbestos in public buildings mandatory.

Labour Minister Don Morgan says a private member’s bill will go to committee so more details can be worked out, such as what information would have to be provided on the registry.

The bill was introduced by the Opposition NDP last fall in honour of Howard Willems, a former building inspector who died from an asbestos-related cancer.

The province had said it would provide lists of government buildings that contain asbestos, but it wasn’t mandatory for other public buildings, such as schools or hospitals, to register.

Morgan says the legislation would make that mandatory.

He says the law should pass this spring.