Sarnia-Lambton MPP Bob Bailey's bill to ban the use, reuse, import, transport and sale of asbestos in Ontario, was reintroduced in the provincial legislature Monday.
The bill, which previously passed second reading at Queen's Park, was wiped off the legislative agenda when Premier Kathleen Wynne prorogued the legislature in March.
Bailey says the federal government promised to implement an asbestos ban during the 2015 election, but three years later, the ban is still not in place.
"We stopped mining asbestos in 2011, but asbestos imports into Canada and especially in Ontario, have nearly doubled in value between 2011 and 2016 to $8.2-million for the year," says Bailey. "So, that's what my big concern is."
The PC member's bill would also require the province to create a public registry of all provincially owned or leased buildings containing the deadly substance.
Health Canada warns that exposure to asbestos, particularly by breathing in asbestos fibers, can cause cancer and other diseases such as asbestosis; lung cancer; and mesothelioma.
Canada has never banned asbestos and it continues to enter the country in imports of brake pads and pipes.