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Although a number of employees have raised the issue with the Citizen, Collier said the DND has not received any concerns from employees.

June Winger, executive vice president of the Union of National Defence Employees, said the presence of asbestos is an ongoing problem with many DND buildings. It is not uncommon to see warning signs about asbestos in certain facilities, she added.

“It’s definitely something we are concerned about,” Winger said. “We expect the employer to meet their safety obligations and we’ll be holding their feet to the fire on this type of thing.”

Public Services and Procurement Canada spokesman Pierre-Alain Bujold said testing has been done on the government-owned building. “As with all PSPC buildings containing asbestos, an annual asbestos inspection of every known piece of asbestos in the building is conducted to identify safety concerns and needed remedial actions,” he said. “As a result of these activities, there is no risk to the health and safety of employees working in the building.”

He noted that the last annual inspection at 45 Sacré-Coeur was completed on November 28, 2015. Ongoing monitoring by building service technicians is also being done, he added.

The fire at the Louis St. Laurent facility in Gatineau started on the building’s sixth floor. Part of the roof of the building caved in but the extent of the damage has not been released.

It will take up to four months to remove debris from a fire-damaged building. It is unclear when federal employees will be able to return to the Louis St. Laurent building. “The duration of these relocations is yet to be determined and will be based on the time needed to repair the Louis St. Laurent building,” Collier added.