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Macdonald Campus: Raymond, Macdonald-Stewart and Barton buildings closed

Published: 1 February 2023

The Raymond, Macdonald-Stewart and Barton buildings on ±«ÓãÖ±²¥â€™s Macdonald Campus will be closed effective immediately.Ìý

The buildings are expected to remain closed for the next two days. Testing today revealed the presence of asbestos in wipe tests on certain surfaces in the Raymond Building, which is currently undergoing renovation. Extensive testing will be conducted over the next few days to find and isolate the source of the problem. The Macdonald-Stewart and Barton buildings, while not under construction, are being closed out of an abundance of caution while testing is conducted.

  • °ä±ô²¹²õ²õ±ð²õ:ÌýClasses in these buildings that are scheduled in the next two days will move online where feasible. Classes that cannot be moved online unfortunately will need to be cancelled. Instructors are asked to let students know as soon as feasible whether the course will be delivered online.
  • Research activities:ÌýOnly research personnel who need to care for animals or maintain live cell cultures and plants will be allowed to enter the buildings. To gain access to the buildings for essential research activities, you must emailÌýemergency.mgmt [at] mcgill.caÌýso that arrangements can be made for appropriate PPE.
  • Access for staff:ÌýAcademic, administrative and support staff working in the Raymond, Barton or Macdonald-Stewart buildings must work from home until Friday morning, unless their supervisor requests their presence and can arrange an alternative on-site location. Staff who cannot perform their duties at home will be paid for the days they cannot come into work.


We know that this news may raise concerns, and we are taking the problem very seriously. There are strict standards in place to manage renovations in buildings containing asbestos. Asbestos abatement was performed in an earlier phase of renovation in the Raymond Building and earlier testing conducted in Raymond was negative. The air ventilation systems of the Raymond, Barton and Macdonald-Stewart Buildings are not connected, but there are passageways between the buildings.

More information on asbestos and health can be found on the websites for theÌýÌýor theÌý.

We will update the community as to test results and what is being done to fix the issue as soon as information becomes available, as well as firmer timelines on when buildings are expected to re-open.

Sincerely,

Ìý

Pierre Barbarie
Director (Campus Public Safety) on behalf of the Emergency Operations Committee

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