Health & Safety
Canadian Facility Management & Design
Self-isolation centres get funding injection
The initiative ties in with Ontario’s high-priority community strategy, which earmarks designated neighbourhoods in the Greater Toronto Area and Ottawa for a targeted intensified response to COVID-19.
Canadian Apartment Magazine
Sluggish radon testing decried in New Brunswick
At the current pace, New Brunswick Auditor General Kim Adair-MacPherson calculates it will take nearly 23 years to complete radon testing in the provincial public housing portfolio.
Canadian Property Management
Manitoba to redefine trespass violations
Construction sites are not specifically identified for limited occupiers' liability provisos, but an associated proposed amendment defines unauthorized entry onto a construction site as a criminal act.
Canadian Apartment Magazine
New fee model for Ontario elevator licenses
The flat license rate will penalize mid-rise and high-rise owners with extra costs if an elevator passes the periodic inspection and does not require a follow-up. It will be a bargain if just one follow-up inspection is required.
Facility Cleaning & Maintenance
ASHRAE tracks COVID-19 HVAC learning curve
A newly refreshed edition of the ASHRAE Epidemic Taskforce’s Building Readiness Guide provides more resources for calculating the effectiveness of building flushing and filtration.
Facility Cleaning & Maintenance
Safety concerns abound as students head back to school
Assessing health, safety, and infection control risks of going back to school against the value of physical classes is a tricky balance.
Canadian Property Management
Fire code updates demand steady upkeep
Although they increasingly rely on professional service providers to keep up with the complexities of compliance, owners/managers ultimately carry the responsibility for life safety and bear the brunt of enforcement.
Canadian Facility Management & Design
Safety body advised to redeploy resources
Ontario’s Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) has been advised to place greater priority on the scrutiny of complex installations and adopt technologies to better support efficient, cost-effective service delivery.
Canadian Property Management
COVID-19 related investment unveiled
The commercial real estate, facilities management and construction/retrofit sectors appear poised to capture a share of the spending announced in the Canadian government’s fall economic statement.
Facility Cleaning & Maintenance
Inquest to examine 2009 scaffolding collapse
An inquest into the circumstances of the four construction workers' deaths is mandatory under Ontario's Coroners Act. A construction site supervisor has already been convicted.
CondoBusiness
New tax credit may apply on common area upgrades
The one-time tax credit applies on eligible capital improvements made in 2021 to safeguard seniors and enable mobility and independence within their current principal residence.
Canadian Facility Management & Design
New grants for COVID-19-related expenditures
Small business operators could receive up to $5,000 to be used for physical modifications to comply with public health requirements, PPE or upgrading digital/e-commerce capabilities.
Facility Cleaning & Maintenance
FireSmart measures begin with maintenance
About 11 million people currently reside in Canada's wildland-urban interface areas, enjoying the benefits of proximity to forests and other natural features, but perhaps overlooking the perils.
Facility Cleaning & Maintenance
Chlorine gas release warrants $150,000 fine
The Alberta court determined the fine should be directed to efforts to educate workers at the water treatment plant and ensure indoor air quality at a local health care centre.
Canadian Facility Management & Design
Accessibility Standards Canada seeks public input
The agency is mandated under the Accessible Canada Act to develop accessibility standards for all federally regulated organizations and to more widely promote accessibility and inclusiveness through research and public engagement.
Canadian Facility Management & Design
Indoor air quality assurance bolsters reopenings
BOMA Toronto's new HVAC Advisory Council will monitor and respond to emerging knowledge about how SARS-CoV-2 — the virus that causes COVID-19 — spreads.
Canadian Facility Management & Design
ASHRAE points prescriptive way on legionellosis
ASHRAE has produced supplemental guidance to help facilities managers and building operators with the practical steps of implementing legionellosis prevention measures.
