WINNIPEG - Manitoba is spending up to $5 million to look for asbestos, PCBs and mercury in its public housing buildings, but critics say the inventory of chemicals won't have any value unless the province plans on stripping the toxic materials out of the aging homes.
The provincial housing authority said it's trying to be "a good landlord" by putting out a multimillion-dollar public tender for someone to catalogue all the hazardous materials in Manitoba's 29,000 housing units.
Housing experts say many of the country's public housing units were built on the cheap more than 30 years ago and haven't been refurbished much since then. The situation means residents could be exposed to a whole host of dangerous toxins.
John Snezyk, manager of maintenance operations with the Manitoba Housing Authority, said some people at the department know where the hazardous materials are, but many of them are retiring, taking their knowledge with them.
Some of Manitoba's units contain asbestos, underground tanks, mercury and light fixtures laced with PCBs.
But Snezyk said the province isn't compiling the list with an eye to removing all hazardous materials.
"A lot of the time if not disturbed, (they) really don't create too much of a hazard," he said. "It's just being proactive. It's a hallmark of a good landlord. We want to make sure we are aware of what we have in the field."
If the contractor discovers areas where the toxic substances are putting tenants at risk, the housing authority said it will take the necessary steps to address the issue, which could include removing the material.
But affordable housing expert Michael Shapcott said any inventory of hazardous materials isn't worth much unless the province shares that information with tenants and backs up its newfound knowledge with cash to remove the dangerous materials.
Subsidized housing was built quickly and with relatively low standards in the 1970s, Shapcott said. With an increasingly deteriorating housing stock, Shapcott said many provinces are now running into problems with mould, asbestos and lead-based paint. Such dangerous materials have a direct impact on the health of tenants, he said.
"This is linked to some overarching notions that beggars can't be choosers and poor people should be grateful for whatever they're given," said Shapcott, director of community engagement at the Wellesley Institute in Toronto.
"Therefore, there hasn't been as much attention paid to the ongoing capital repair of social housing."
Manitoba is the first province to undertake a detailed inventory of toxic substances within its public housing units, Shapcott said.
But that's just the beginning, he added. Tenants don't own their homes and can't afford the necessary repairs to remove any toxic substances, he said. The government has to take some responsibility to phase out these dangerous chemicals.
"It's got to be backed up with some serious cash once the inevitable issues are uncovered," Shapcott said.
The extensive inventory of hazardous materials is part of the Manitoba government's three-year $72-million program to rejuvenate its public housing.
A spokeswoman for Housing Minister Gord Mackintosh said the minister isn't involved in the inventory at this point and "would not determine what is hazardous nor what should be done with any possible hazardous materials."
But Liberal Leader Jon Gerrard said refurbishing the province's social housing should be a top priority for the government.
"The province should be the best landlord and not the worst," Gerrard said. "We've got to have buildings which are in good shape and not run-down."
