Sarnia Lambton MPP Bob Bailey has introduced a Private Members Bill that would ban any future use of asbestos in Ontario.
"It calls for the ban on the use, reuse, import, transport or sale of asbestos in Ontario," he says. "Bill 88 also requires the province to create a register that the province of Saskatchewan launched in 2015."
New data from the Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada show asbestos was the cause of death in 367 accepted claims last year, making it the number one workplace killer in the country.
Canada has never banned asbestos and it continues to enter the country in imports of brake pads and pipes.
"In Sarnia-Lambton there are many, many families who have buried loved ones because of the mesothelioma they developed from exposure to asbestos while at work," says Bailey. "There is no justifiable reason to continue to use asbestos-containing products. My hope is Premier Wynne and her government will take immediate action to adopt Bill 88 into provincial law. Waiting for the federal government to do so risks further exposures."
There have been 5,614 asbestos work related deaths since 1996, with Sarnia being called ground zero.
