When we tear down a 100-year-old hospital or renovate a high school, we are not just knocking down drywall. We are disturbing the deadliest materials known to man, including asbestos, lead, mercury, and silica. Right now, in Ontario, the trade of removing these toxins—Hazardous Material Abatement (253W)—remains voluntary. This means a contractor can legally take an untrained general labourer, give them a crowbar, and send them into a toxic zone. This is not just a workplace issue; it is a community health crisis.

The public danger is severe because when an untrained worker rips out asbestos incorrectly, millions of microscopic fibres are released into the air. These fibres do not stay behind the construction fence. They travel through ventilation shafts into active classrooms, drift out of open windows into residential neighbourhoods, and stick to the worker’s clothes, travelling home to their families on public transit. You cannot see this dust and you cannot smell it, but twenty years from now, it kills. By allowing uncertified workers to handle these poisons, the Government is gambling with the lungs of every citizen in this province.

The only solution to this threat is compulsory certification for Trade 253W. We already license the people who cut hair, fix pipes, and wire lights. It is unacceptable that we do not license the people handling the deadliest poisons in our cities. Mandatory training ensures that no one touches a toxic wall without a valid, government-issued ticket. Furthermore, compulsory status ensures accountability, as certified work is tracked so we know exactly who was on a site and that they were trained to keep the air safe.

We must end the loophole that allows developers to use general labourers simply because they are cheaper. You cannot put a price tag on a child’s breath or a discount on public safety. It is time for the Ministry of Labour to stop prioritizing developer profits over the health of our families. We demand the passage of the Ghost Worker Act to make Trade 253W compulsory and protect our community from an invisible killer.

Sincerely,

 Certified Abatement Worker (253W)