Ottawa, May 20, 2026 – The Association of Justice Counsel (AJC) is deeply concerned by reports of another person diagnosed with an asbestos-related illness connected to the Guy-Favreau Complex (CGF) in Montreal. Our thoughts are with these two individuals and their loved ones. 

In an email sent by Public Services and Procurement Canada, staff were informed that a former employee of a federal department housed at CGF, who retired in 2003, has been diagnosed with an asbestos-related disease. While the employer states that no link has been established between the illness and the workplace, this latest development raises serious concerns for workers currently required to report onsite. 

Following the first case disclosed on March 24, 2026, the AJC demanded answers and action from the employer regarding asbestos management and workplace safety at the Complex. Those concerns remain unresolved. 

The employer has since rejected the AJC’s request for temporary accommodation allowing affected employees to work remotely while these issues are being addressed. The AJC’s position remains clear: public servants working at CGF should be granted immediate accommodation to work remotely until the government conducts more sensitive Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) testing. Workers deserve the highest assurance possible regarding the absence of asbestos fibres. 

The current testing approach relies primarily on Phase Contrast Microscopy (PCM), which cannot distinguish asbestos fibres from other airborne particles and may fail to detect very thin fibres.  

In previous correspondence, Mr. Bill Kroll stated that “Public Services and Procurement Canada remains open to reassessing analytical methods should evolving circumstances, new information, or specific conditions warrant it, always based on the judgment of qualified experts.” 

The AJC believes those circumstances now clearly exist. In a letter regarding the situation at CGF and the measurement of airborne asbestos fibres and asbestos management, Dr. Kevin Hedges, a Certified Occupational Hygienist (COH) and Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH), as well as a past president and current board member of Workplace Health Without Borders, stated: 

“PCM should be carried out in parallel with the more advanced and much more sensitive technique of TEM. If PCM is used as a screen or precursor, prior to TEM then filters with very thin fibres may be missed.” 

The AJC is now procuring its own independent review, at the union’s expense, of the employer’s asbestos-related documents and testing materials. We are also formally raising these concerns in correspondence to senior officials with the Department of Justice Canada, Public Prosecution Service of Canada, and the Immigration and Refugee Board. 

With inconsistent information continuing to emerge, the assurances provided to workers about the safety of their workplace are simply not sufficient. 

At the same time, employees continue to report additional workplace health and safety concerns. Building management recently informed workers of a confirmed bed bug infestation on the fifth floor of the West Tower at the Complex. Workstations were closed and pest control measures initiated. Monitoring is ongoing.  

These incidents reinforce a broader concern: workers are being required to return to workplaces while serious health and safety questions remain unresolved. 

All workers have the right to a safe and healthy workplace. Public servants are no different. The responsibility to ensure workplace safety rests with the employer. That responsibility requires action and transparency. 

Therefore, the AJC is calling on the federal government to immediately:

  • Grant temporary remote work accommodation to affected employees
  • Conduct TEM testing at the Guy-Favreau Complex
  • Share testing methodologies and findings transparently with bargaining agents and workers
  • Provide proactive disclosure regarding workplace exposures and occupational health risks 

Bargaining agents should not be learning critical workplace health and safety information through fragmented disclosures, rumours, or messages forwarded by concerned employees. 

When it comes to workers’ health and safety, we cannot settle for the bare minimum.

 

ABOUT THE AJC

The Association of Justice Counsel (AJC) is the union defending Canada’s legal team. Our 3,500+ members are Federal Crown Counsel, notaries and articling students employed by the Government of Canada in the Department of Justice, the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, and in various federal agencies, tribunals and courts across Canada.

MEDIA CONTACT

The Communications Department 
Association of Justice Counsel 
300–2725 Queensview Drive 
Ottawa, ON, Canada 
K2B 0A1

Phone: (613) 798-9900 
Toll-Free: (866) 218-3310 
Fax: (613) 564-0606 
Email: admin@ajc-ajj.ca 

 

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