Asbestos rules for owner-occupiers, do they bind me in my Ottawa home?

Ontario's asbestos regulation, O. Reg. 278/05, does not apply to an owner of a private residence occupied by the owner or family. So if you live in the home and you are doing the work yourself, that regulation does not bind you directly.

A contractor you hire has worker-safety duties of their own under Ontario's occupational health and safety law. Testing before the work begins protects the people doing it and keeps the job moving.

Health Canada notes that homes built before 1960 are likely to contain lead-based paint, and that older interior materials including plaster, paint, putty, caulking and spackling may contain asbestos. Health Canada advises hiring a professional to test before any renovation disturbs those materials. That advice applies whether you are doing the work yourself or hiring someone.

The practical point is this: if you plan to open a wall, remove trim or disturb old plaster in an older Ottawa home, get the materials tested first. Building the test into the plan before anyone picks up a tool keeps suspect material from surfacing halfway through the job.

If you hire a contractor for the carpentry, get the scope in writing, including who is responsible for arranging any testing and how suspect material will be handled before work begins. The Consumer Protection Act, 2002 requires a direct agreement over $50 to be in writing and signed, and gives you 10 days to cancel after you receive your written copy.

When you are comparing two written quotes for carpentry in an older home, set them side by side and check that each one spells out the same scope of work, names who designs and who pulls any required permit, lists materials by type, and covers patching and clean-up, including how disturbed material is disposed of, so you are comparing the same job, not two different assumptions about what is included.