Review on carbon monoxide detector regulations needed, says Clark

Can the City of Saskatoon take any steps to prevent carbon monoxide poisonings in the future?

That’s what Mayor Charlie Clark will ask Monday, when he expects to present a notice of motion during a city council meeting.

After dozens of people from an apartment building in the Greystone Heights area were treated for carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning last week, Clark says something more needs to be done.

“It took a little bit of time to understand how it could be that a building like that didn’t have carbon monoxide detection and the fact that the way the building code is written that they don’t have a requirement for carbon monoxide detectors before 2009,” Clark said Thursday.

He says the city “absolutely” needs to be taking steps to avert what could have been a “significant tragedy.”

One week ago, emergency department Dr. Mark Wahba examined two patients from the apartment building on Bateman Crescent and quickly alerted fire and ambulance officials.

During a Zoom conference on Friday, Fire Chief Morgan Hackl said when firefighters entered the building, they found CO readings of 350 parts per million (ppm). In some hallways the readings were 200 ppm, and in the boiler room the readings were in excess of 400 ppm — high enough to kill someone in two to three hours.

An adjacent apartment building was also evacuated because one of the boilers wasn’t working properly. In the days since, Mainstreet Equity, the real estate company that manages the buildings, has completed the necessary repairs and residents are back at home.

Clark says he also has spoken with Crown Corporations Minister Don Morgan about whether the province is interested in trying to fix any gaps in the regulatory system.

“So I think what we want to do is to find the best way to have regulations,” Clark said. “From what I can tell for example in Ontario, they have a province-wide rule that is stricter and that goes above the building code. In B.C., I think the City of Vancouver has a stricter rule that has those requirements.”

He says it’s not just a Saskatoon concern, so he’s hoping for a co-ordinated approach with the provincial government.

Clark is hoping city administration can have some answers on what role the city can play in the next few months.

“We’re going to try and get it turned around as quickly as possible,” he said.

SaskEnergy reminds residents about rebates

In the wake of the incident, SaskEnergy issued a reminder Thursday about the dangers of the gas.

Residents should have all fuel-burning appliances inspected yearly by a licensed contractor, conduct regular inspections of their chimneys and vents to ensure they’re clear of debris, ice and snow, and ensure they have working CO alarms in their homes.

The Crown corporation started a program in November in which it partnered with retailers across Saskatchewan to offer a $10 rebate on the purchase of CO alarms. The point-of-sale rebate is to expire on Jan. 31.

A list of participating retailers can be found here.