The risk of falling concrete has forced the installation of netting on sections of the exterior walls of three major federal government buildings in Gatineau, Que.

Since June 2017, the private firm that manages Place du Portage I, II and III has installed a total of 3,250 square meters of netting at 60 problem spots, including the top of Portage I, which reaches a height of 100 meters.

The black fibreglass mesh is designed to prevent concrete from crumbling and potentially falling onto pedestrians and vehicles below.

Black netting covers a section of concrete wall at Place du Portage that has already started crumbling, exposing rebar. (Olivier Plante/Radio-Canada)

Public Service and Procurement Canada (PSPC), the department responsible for the three buildings, did not provide CBC with a cause for the crumbling concrete.

But in an email, PSPC spokesperson Michèle LaRose said the problem spots were identified during an inspection in 2017 by Brookfield Global Integrated Solutions Canada, the private firm contracted to manage the Place du Portage complex.

Crews removed any loose concrete before installing the netting, LaRose said. The total cost of the remediation has so far reached $565,000.

LaRose said the netting will be in place until the walls can be permanently repaired, a process that may take up to two years to complete.

Netting has been fitted the ends of these concrete beams. (Olivier Plante/Radio-Canada)

Portage III in 'poor' condition

Built in the mid-1970s, the three phases of Place du Portage currently house approximately 6,500 public servants, most of them with PSPC, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, Shared Services Canada and Employment and Social Development Canada.

While Portage III was completed after the other two buildings, it's in the worst condition of the three. According to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat's listing of federal properties, the condition of Portage III is rated as "poor", whereas Portage I and II are rated as "fair."

Both Portage I and II are expected to reach the end of their lifecycles by the end 2023.

Engineer Normand Tétreault said the government is taking the right approach to mitigating the damage. (Radio-Canada)

Union satisfied

While he hasn't personally inspected the outside walls of Place du Portage, engineer Normand Tétreault believes PSPC and the building's operator are on the right track.

Tétreault's Montreal engineering firm Soconex specializes in designing and repairing concrete structures.

"I wouldn't be worried too much because they had professionals look at it, and then they took the measures that they think could help them keep the building safe," said Tétreault.

To prevent possible concrete falls, the federal government has installed protective nets at more than 60 locations on three buildings in Place du Portage in Gatineau, where thousands of public servants work. 0:26

Tétreault added that PSPC will need to determine in the coming years if the problem spots can be patched, or if they will need to be completely rebuilt.

Meanwhile, the union representing the majority of employees at Place du Portage said its local committees are working with PSPC and various other federal departments to address the risk of falling concrete.

Chris Aylward, national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, said in a written statement that his union is confident the government is evaluating, mitigating and eliminating the risk.