Frequently Asked Questions

Published Ontario prices for a pre-renovation inspection with testing run roughly $250 to $1,300, depending on the size of the house and how many samples are taken. There are too few published per-sample lab prices for Ottawa to quote one. These are vendor estimates read in September 2026, not fixed rates, so ask each firm how many samples the price covers and whether a written report is included.

Published Ontario prices run about $8 to $15 per square foot. Some vendors publish a minimum charge for small jobs. The Type of the job under O. Reg. 278/05 matters here: a Type 3 job needs inspector notice, a full enclosure, specially trained workers and a clearance air test, and those requirements are part of what you pay for. Get the Type in writing in every quote.

We found too few published Ottawa prices to quote a range. The two Ottawa vendors that publish mould prices use different size bands, and neither matches Health Canada's. Compare two written quotes that name the same square footage, the same containment and the same moisture repair, because a cheaper quote that skips the moisture source is not cheaper.

You can't tell by looking. Health Canada says that before 1990 asbestos was mainly used for insulating buildings and homes, and lists materials such as house siding, plaster, floor and ceiling tiles, roofing felt and shingles, drywall, spackling, caulking, paint and insulation around hot water pipes and tanks. A lab test of the specific material is the only way to know. Under Ontario's regulation a material counts as asbestos-containing at 0.5 per cent or more by dry weight.

O. Reg. 278/05, section 12, sorts asbestos work into three Types. Type 1 includes removing ceiling tiles that cover less than 7.5 square metres without breaking them, and removing less than one square metre of drywall with asbestos joint compound. Type 2 includes removing or disturbing one square metre or less of friable material. Type 3 includes removing or disturbing more than one square metre of friable material. A job cannot be split into smaller jobs to lower its Type.

We found no Ontario licence for an asbestos abatement company. What the law sets is training: for Type 3 work, every worker must have completed the approved Asbestos Abatement Worker Training Program and every supervisor the Asbestos Abatement Supervisor Training Program. Skilled Trades Ontario lists Hazardous Materials Worker as a trade, but it is non-compulsory. Ask each contractor for their workers' and supervisor's training records.

Health Canada says you can generally clean small and medium areas yourself. Small is one to three patches, each under 1 m² (10 square feet); medium is more than three patches, or patches between 1 m² and 3 m² (32 square feet). For a single patch larger than 3 m², Health Canada recommends that a qualified professional assess and clean it up. In an older house, have the wall tested for asbestos before you cut into it.

We found no Ontario statute or regulation that licenses mould remediation contractors or sets indoor mould limits. Industry guidelines exist, but they are not law. That makes the written scope matter more: ask how the work area will be contained, what material comes out, how the space will be dried, and what will be done about the moisture source.

Health Canada says vermiculite-based insulation may contain asbestos. Its advice: don't use the attic for storage, keep children out of the attic, don't disturb it or attempt to remove it yourself, seal gaps around the attic hatch, light fixtures and outlets, and hire professionals trained to handle asbestos if you plan to renovate. A lab test tells you what yours contains.

We found no City of Ottawa permit for asbestos, mould or lead abatement as such. The provincial rules sit with the contractor: before a Type 3 job, the contractor must notify a Ministry of Labour inspector orally and in writing. A demolition needs a building permit from the City. The City's demolition page also points owners to section 30 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the duty to identify designated substances on a project.

We found no Ontario rule that stops an owner-occupier doing their own work: O. Reg. 278/05 does not apply to an owner of a private residence occupied by the owner or the owner's family. Health Canada still advises hiring a professional, and the waste rules in Ontario Regulation 347 apply to everyone. The exemption covers the owner only; a contractor you hire must follow the regulation in full.

Section 30 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act says a project owner shall determine whether designated substances are present and give the list to prospective constructors. How that applies to an owner-occupied house is not settled: the asbestos regulation exempts owner-occupiers, section 30 itself has no residence exemption. Rental and commercial owners get no owner-occupier exemption. If you're unsure, ask your contractor or the Ministry of Labour.

Ask which Type (1, 2 or 3) they are quoting under O. Reg. 278/05 and what that Type requires of them. For Type 3, ask who notifies the Ministry of Labour inspector, for the workers' and supervisor's training records, and who does the clearance air test. Search their WSIB clearance online. Ask where the waste is going and confirm the site has agreed to accept it. Get the scope, price and schedule in writing.

If you signed at home rather than at the contractor's place of business, it is likely a direct agreement under Ontario's Consumer Protection Act, 2002. A direct agreement over $50 must be in writing, and you can cancel it for any reason within 10 days after you receive your written copy. The 2002 Act is due to be replaced by the Consumer Protection Act, 2023, so check the current rules.

A householder who hires a contractor directly for exempt home renovation work does not have to obtain a WSIB clearance certificate. You can still search a contractor's current clearance online through WSIB, and a clearance is valid for up to 90 days. Searching it tells you whether the contractor holds a current clearance.

Under Ontario Regulation 347, section 17, asbestos waste may only leave the place it was generated to go to a waste disposal site whose operator has agreed to accept it and has been told when it will arrive. It must be sealed in rigid containers or six-mil poly bags inside boxes, labelled, and carried by a driver trained in asbestos waste. We found nothing on ottawa.ca about asbestos at the Trail Waste Facility, so ask your contractor where it is going.

Not under Ontario Regulation 347's definitions: asbestos waste is managed under its own section 17 rules for packaging, labelling and transport. That does not make it ordinary garbage. Ottawa says construction, renovation and demolition waste such as drywall and plaster is not collected with regular garbage, and no rule we found lets asbestos waste go out at the curb.

For a Type 3 job, O. Reg. 278/05 requires a clearance air test before the enclosure comes down. With the PCM method the area passes only if every air sample is at or below 0.01 fibres per cubic centimetre; a TEM method is also allowed. Results are posted within 24 hours and the owner keeps a copy for at least a year. The regulation prescribes no clearance test for Type 1 or Type 2 jobs.