Where to sell building and renovation materials in Toronto

The Prohibition of Asbestos and Products Containing Asbestos Regulations (SOR/2018-196) prohibit importing, selling and using processed asbestos fibres and products containing them. But section 3 provides that the Regulations do not apply to asbestos integrated into a structure or infrastructure before the day they came into force, and excludes "a product containing asbestos and used before the day on which these Regulations come into force". Section 7 permits physical possession or control to be transferred to allow disposal. The practical consequence: do not tell people the federal ban makes their old material illegal to move. What actually blocks them is charity policy, provincial occupational health and safety law, and landfill acceptance rules.

As of 1 January 2024, asbestos abatement contractors must hold a WorkSafeBC licence to operate in British Columbia, and anyone performing asbestos abatement work must complete mandatory training and be certified; certificates are valid for three years. Asbestos abatement work is defined to include identifying material that is or may be asbestos-containing, collecting samples, assessing the risk, removing, repairing, transporting or disposing of the material, and planning or supervising any of that work. An independent operator who is not an employer is not required to hold a licence, but one who hires a worker to perform abatement work is an employer and must be licensed.

O. Reg. 278/05 (Designated Substance — Asbestos on Construction Projects and in Buildings and Repair Operations) does not apply to "the owner of a private home that is occupied by the owner or the owner's family", nor to "the owner of a residential building that contains no more than four units, one of which is occupied by the registered owner or family". It does apply to the constructors, employers and workers engaged on private construction projects and on the repair or maintenance of such buildings. Doing it yourself in your own home is outside the regulation; paying someone to do it brings them inside it.

Metro Vancouver's guidance states that until about 1990 the tape and joint compound used between drywall boards sometimes contained asbestos. If the drywall went in after 1990 and you have documentation such as a building permit and inspection report, you can safely remove it; if before 1990, have the tape and joint compound tested — sampling by a qualified person, analysis by an accredited laboratory. Recycling and waste centres accept non-asbestos material only with a date stamp, original packaging or a test certificate from a testing facility dated less than four weeks before drop-off, printed on letterhead and showing the laboratory's contact information and analyst, the client name and sample identification, and the type and amount of asbestos. Asbestos-containing material is not accepted at those centres at all; it goes to a local landfill that accepts it, by prior arrangement and for a special handling fee.

In accordance with GVS&DD Bylaw No. 302, 2016, section 5.12, any person who disposes of hazardous material at a waste and recycling centre may be charged a surcharge and the costs of remediation and clean-up. Hiding a bag of asbestos board in a mixed load is a financial risk, not just an ethical one.

Health Canada states that vermiculite ore from the Libby Mine in Montana, produced from the 1920s to 1990 and supplying the majority of the world market mostly under the Zonolite brand, may contain asbestos, and that it is "prudent, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, to assume that vermiculite insulation material produced before 1990 may contain some asbestos". It also states there is currently no evidence of a risk to health where the insulation remains sealed behind wallboards and floorboards or isolated in an attic. CCOHS advises hiring a professional to sample it before work that will disturb it, and never handling or removing it yourself if asbestos is suspected.

Health Canada states that your home "probably contains lead-based paint if it was built before 1960", and that if it was built between 1960 and 1990 the exterior may contain lead-based paint while interior surfaces may contain lead in smaller amounts. Its direction is explicit: "Do not use sanders, heat guns or blowlamps to remove lead-based paint--this creates toxic dust and fumes with lead."

Product Care Recycling accepts leftover latex and oil-based paint, primers, coatings, aerosols and empty paint cans in plastic, metal and composite, free of charge, at bottle depots, recycling centres, municipal sites and retail locations. Drop-off limits are up to 10 paint cans per visit at a maximum 25 litres each, and up to 50 aerosol containers at a maximum 680 g each. Use the recycling locator on productcare.org rather than guessing which depot takes it. Quebec is not in the Product Care paint program and runs its own system.