Agricultural and Environmental Sciences - Building closure updates - Homepage

Raymond Octagon 4th-floor classrooms reopen November 14th

69��Ƶ — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 14:07:01 +0000

At the start of the semester, we had to close access to the Raymond Octagon 4^th-floor classrooms unexpectedly. Debris of asbestos-containing plaster had been found in the cavity between the roof and the ceiling of two of the classrooms as we prepared for necessary work on the roof. This work, combined with the design of the ceiling – which included openings between tiles – presented a risk of asbestos fibres being released during the work.

Update on air testing

69��Ƶ — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 20:37:33 +0000

When we reopened the Raymond, Macdonald-Stewart and Barton buildings in March 2023, we established a temporary air testing program that consisted of testing for the presence of airborne asbestos in more than 35 areas across the complex. This testing program was not a regulatory requirement but rather put in place out of an abundance of caution.

University response to the report on asbestos-related closures at Macdonald Campus

69��Ƶ — Tue, 19 Sep 2023 16:13:05 +0000

Please find a message from Principal and Vice-Chancellor Deep Saini below, followed by a message from Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Christopher Manfredi.

A message from Principal and Vice-Chancellor Deep Saini

Dear members of the 69��Ƶ community,

Basement of Octagon in Raymond Building Reopens September 11

69��Ƶ — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 14:50:05 +0000

We are glad to inform you that the basement of the Octagon section of the Raymond Building is open again as of Monday, Sept. 11.

Update on Internal Audit investigation

69��Ƶ — Fri, 01 Sep 2023 16:20:17 +0000

Dear members of the Macdonald Campus community,

I know that this week’s news of construction-related classroom closures in the Raymond building has made for a frustrating start to the new academic year for many of you. It is especially disappointing given the ongoing disruptions the community has experienced as a result of construction work.

I want to assure you that 69��Ƶ’s senior leadership is aware of the problems and remains focused on resolving them.

Update and impact of construction activities at the Raymond Building

69��Ƶ — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 14:57:53 +0000

August 30, 2023 – Update and impact of construction activities at the Raymond Building

In June, we wrote to inform you that some of the work related to the major renovation project underway at the Raymond Building had restarted, mainly exterior work, including the replacement of the roof.

Operational Update August 29, 2023

69��Ƶ — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 14:53:49 +0000

Dear members of the Macdonald Campus community,

Further to yesterday’s message regarding the inaccessibility of certain classrooms and subsequent reassignments, I can confirm that the classroom revisions can now be found on Minerva. I invite instructors and students to consult their Minerva schedule to find the updated room numbers and locations.

The following locations have been added to the list of classrooms (buildings maps linked in the table below) *:

Building

Room

Operational Constraints Fall 2023

69��Ƶ — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 14:49:25 +0000

Dear members of the Macdonald Campus community,

As we transition from summer to a new academic year, I would like to warmly welcome new and returning Macdonald Campus community members and wish you all a good start to the fall term.

As instructors and students prepare for the start of classes, I must regretfully inform you that, due to unexpected construction-related issues, the following Macdonald Campus classrooms are temporarily inaccessible: R1-042, R4-045, R4-046/048, R4-047.

Status of the investigation into the building closures

69��Ƶ — Tue, 30 May 2023 16:23:50 +0000

Dear members of the Macdonald Campus community,

I am writing to update you on the progress of the investigation into the asbestos-related building closures at Macdonald Campus.

Testing reports now available online

69��Ƶ — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 14:01:46 +0000

The reports from the testing done just before and during the recent closure of the Raymond, Barton and Macdonald-Stewart buildings are now available online. You will find the reports on the Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) website. We will continue to post the results from the weekly air tests undertaken since the reopening.

Raymond re-opening

69��Ƶ — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 01:47:14 +0000

We can confirm that a significant part of the Raymond building will re-open Friday, March 31, 2023, including nearly all classrooms.

Timeline for Raymond building reopening

69��Ƶ — Fri, 24 Mar 2023 20:18:47 +0000

I know that many students and instructors are eager to know when the classrooms in the Raymond building (classrooms whose numbers begin with “R” in the Octagon) will re-open. The process of re-opening is more complicated than re-opening the Macdonald-Stewart and Barton buildings because of the Octagon’s proximity to the construction site. We expect to be able to announce a timeline next week.

Answering your questions

69��Ƶ — Wed, 22 Mar 2023 00:31:30 +0000

Dear members of the Macdonald Campus community,

Thank you to everyone who joined us for last week’s Town Hall. We have received quite a few questions, and we will answer as many as we can in the coming days in FAQ, with updates flagged by date.

Summary of the Town Hall Presentation

69��Ƶ — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 20:56:42 +0000

In case you were not able to attend today’s Town Hall, I am sharing some information from the presentation I gave today.

Before moving into a summary of the presentation, I want to acknowledge the uncertainty and disruption caused by the closures. We have taken the first step along the path in re-opening Barton and most of the Macdonald-Stewart closures, but we recognize that work remains. As we re-open, our focus is on the health and safety of everyone who uses the buildings.

Investigation into events leading to Macdonald Campus building closures

69��Ƶ — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 13:44:27 +0000

I have been closely following the situation involving the closure of the Raymond, Barton, and Macdonald-Stewart buildings on 69��Ƶ’s Macdonald Campus. I have heard many of the concerns shared by our community members, and I agree that it is essential for us to ensure we have the fullest possible understanding of this situation.

Barton reopens, parts of Macdonald-Stewart remain closed

69��Ƶ — Tue, 14 Mar 2023 11:49:28 +0000

Yesterday, we announced that the Macdonald-Stewart and Barton Buildings would open today. Barton will indeed fully reopen today, but during a final inspection of Macdonald-Stewart, it was determined that the southern half of the first floor of that building must remain closed a while longer, due to the presence of equipment and temporary structures obstructing hallways.

Confirmation of re-opening of Barton and most of Macdonald-Stewart

69��Ƶ — Mon, 13 Mar 2023 19:28:21 +0000

I am very glad to confirm that the Barton building and most of the Macdonald-Stewart (MS) building will re-open tomorrow, March 14, 2023.

Tomorrow, we will also hold a hybrid Town Hall from 2-3:30 p.m. (registration information below) to share information about our safe re-opening approach, answer your questions and hear any concerns you may have.

Raymond Building Update and Student Supports

69��Ƶ — Sat, 11 Mar 2023 21:56:31 +0000

Dear members of the Macdonald Campus community,

Anticipated re-opening and Town Hall

69��Ƶ — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 22:04:02 +0000

Message from Fabrice Labeau, Co-Acting Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic), Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) and planning chief for the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) on behalf of the EOC

Dear members of the Macdonald Campus community,

Update on Barton re-opening timelines

69��Ƶ — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 20:46:40 +0000

Dear members of the Macdonald Campus community,

As Reading Week draws to a close, I am pleased to provide some updates for you on the building closures.

Macdonald-Stewart re-opening on track

Update on Macdonald-Stewart re-opening timeline

69��Ƶ — Tue, 28 Feb 2023 20:17:02 +0000

Dear members of the Macdonald Campus community,

I am writing to provide an update on the timeline for the safe re-opening of the Macdonald-Stewart building, which may help to inform your post-Reading Week plans.

Graduate student concerns regarding building closures

69��Ƶ — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 16:59:33 +0000

Message from Josephine Nalbantoglu, Associate Provost (Graduate Education) & Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and Jean-Benoit Charron, Associate Dean (Graduate Education) FAES

Dear Graduate Students,

We understand that the recent closures of the Macdonald-Stewart, Barton and Raymond buildings have had a major effect on your life and progress as graduate students. It’s particularly tough, coming after all the disruptions and unexpected closures in the first few years of COVID.

Updates and Barton test results

69��Ƶ — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 00:01:45 +0000

Dear members of the Macdonald Campus community,

Results of testing for Macdonald-Stewart

69��Ƶ — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 19:59:13 +0000

Dear members of the Macdonald campus community,

Late yesterday afternoon, we received the final results of the microvac testing in the Macdonald-Stewart Building, which has been underway since February 3, 2023. These tests provide reasonably complete information about this building, though we are still gathering information about Barton and Raymond.

Below in this email, you will find:

Presentation on the Macdonald building closures

69��Ƶ — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 17:40:20 +0000

Dear members of the Macdonald Campus community,

You are invited to register for a presentation by Fabrice Labeau, Co-Acting Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic), Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) and planning chief for the Emergency Operations Centre.

Professor Labeau will give an interim update about the status of the building closures at Macdonald Campus: where we are and what we know to date. He will provide answers, where information is available, to some of the common questions we are hearing from the Macdonald community.

Message from the Dean

69��Ƶ — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 13:38:30 +0000

Dear members of the Macdonald Campus community

As you learned from the latest message by Director (Campus Public Safety) Pierre Barbarie (sent on February 7, 5:06 pm), the Barton-Macdonald-Stewart-Raymond building complex will need to stay closed for at least another week while additional tests for asbestos are being conducted. The purpose of these tests is to ensure that all spaces in the vast expanse of these buildings are covered.

Opening timelines extended

69��Ƶ — Wed, 08 Feb 2023 14:06:51 +0000

Dear members of the Macdonald Campus community,

Testing is continuing at the Barton and Macdonald-Stewart buildings. The Emergency Operations Centre is extending testing to all rooms in the complex to ensure complete coverage.

This, unfortunately, will further extend timelines for the buildings to re-open. The earliest date on which testing will be completed is likely the end of next week.

Three building closures extended

69��Ƶ — Fri, 03 Feb 2023 23:10:43 +0000

Dear members of the Macdonald Campus community,

Testing remains underway at the Barton and Macdonald-Stewart Buildings, and still has not yielded any concerning findings. This careful testing is taking longer than originally anticipated; therefore, the earliest date on which these buildings may re-open is now Thursday, February 9.

Once this testing has concluded, we will focus our efforts on the Raymond Building.

As noted in previous messages:

Update on Macdonald Campus building closures

69��Ƶ — Fri, 03 Feb 2023 00:21:28 +0000

Dear members of the Macdonald Campus community,

Following yesterday’s update, testing continues at the Barton and Macdonald-Stewart Buildings. We are encouraged by the preliminary results, which have so far yielded nothing of concern, but these efforts will continue until we are confident that the buildings can safely reopen. Once this testing has concluded, we will focus our efforts on the Raymond Building.

Update on Macdonald Campus building closures

69��Ƶ — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 02:53:47 +0000

Dear members of the 69��Ƶ community,

We wanted to send a quick update on the building closures on Macdonald Campus, following yesterday’s email.

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

69��Ƶ — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 18:56:42 +0000

The Raymond, Macdonald-Stewart and Barton buildings on 69��Ƶ’s Macdonald Campus will be closed effective immediately.