'They deserve a safe place': AUPE says Lethbridge's Melcor building is dangerous
Lethbridge's Melcor Centre has gone through quite a lot recently.
With eight floods since 2014, and four so far this year, it's seen an extensive amount of damage in a short time.
The floods have caused several tenants of the office building on Fourth Avenue South to be flooded out or closed, including a section that houses Alberta Health Services' employees.
However, vice-president of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) South Region Darren Graham says there is more to be concerned about regarding the floods.
"The floods that have happened in our area have actually happened above the suspended ceiling and caused ceiling tiles to come crashing down on workers’ desks, in meeting rooms, in file rooms," Graham said. “That’s a huge concern because one of the big offices there is children services. We also have Alberta Health Services with our members working in them."
So far, the falling ceiling tiles haven’t caused any injuries, but Graham is worried that if someone were to be hit, it would cause some serious injuries or worse.
"If it was a small child they could even be potentially killed. It's a real concern, not only for our members' safety but for the public's safety too,” Graham said.
When the waterlogged ceiling tiles fall, they can weigh up to 50 pounds.
Even if they aren't causing injuries, it's a significant amount of damage that needs to be fixed.
MORE PROBLEMS AT MELCOR
While the floods are a big cause for concern, it's not the only thing AUPE is worried about.
"We've had other issues with people being stuck in elevators, stairwell issues, we've seen concrete drop off some of the areas within the parkade," Graham said.
"So there's a variety of issues that we’re concerned with."
The unsafe conditions of the building has Graham hoping that the government workers using the offices will leave the building.
"We really just want the government of Alberta to get out of the lease and to find different facilities for our members to work in and serve the public.
"The citizens of Lethbridge and surrounding areas deserve that – they deserve a safe place to go."
A representative of Melcor Developments, in a request for a statement from CTV News, said the leak in the building was caused by equipment that was installed by another tenant.
Melcor says its own property manager, Braemore Management Ltd., took steps to deal with the problems, including hiring a plumber to fix a leak and remediate the damage caused by the flooding.
It also says Occupational Health and Safety is involved.
"An OH&S investigation has been initiated, and Melcor and Braemore are working in full cooperation in the investigation and have provided all materials (blue prints, maintenance records, etc.) requested," said Nicole Forsythe, director of corporate communications for Melcor in an emailed statement.
The company says all three leaks that were reported were due to the air eliminators that were installed in various locations of the units occupied by AUPE.
It adds that the issue that caused the flooding in the building has been fixed.
"We have reached an agreement with the internal government infrastructure manager to test the air eliminators twice yearly to prevent future issues."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Live updates: Category 5 Hurricane Milton approaches Florida coast
Hurricane Milton is a Category 5 storm forecast to bring extreme flooding, high winds and heavy rain to the central west coast of Florida.
Hurricane Milton will likely hit Florida cities like Orlando, Tampa and Daytona Beach
Hurricane Milton is expected to leave a path of devastation across central Florida, from Tampa in the west to Daytona Beach in the east.
'This is just horrific': Meteorologist becomes emotional while providing Hurricane Milton update
A seasoned American meteorologist became emotional on air as he gave an update on a major hurricane, later suggesting the reason behind his strong reaction.
Freeland announces new actions to encourage building of secondary suites, more homes
The federal government introduced a number of measures related to housing on Tuesday, which include measures for homeowners wanting to add a secondary suite, taxing vacant land and building homes in place of underused federal properties.
'A cause for concern': Canadian universities slip down world ranking list
An organization that ranks the best universities across the globe says its latest report shows a concerning trend that several of Canada’s institutions are slipping down its list.
B.C. man convicted of killing neighbour's chihuahua to protect his chickens
A British Columbia provincial court judge says a Boston Bar man who shot a teacup Chihuahua named Bear claiming it was menacing his chickens was not justified in killing the animal.
Liberals considering proroguing Parliament amid document impasse? Freeland says 'no'
The minority Liberal government is not considering proroguing Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Tuesday, despite persisting uncertainty over who is willing to keep propping them up and procedural wrangling over a Conservative led-privilege debate.
Hertz tells B.C. tribunal online reservations do not 'guarantee' an available car
A man who showed up at a rental car company only to be told his online reservation would not be honoured is entitled to compensation, B.C.'s small claims tribunal has ruled.
'Extremely disappointed': Family of homicide victim storms out of courtroom as judge reads decision
Emotions boiled over after a judge acquitted two out of three defendants in a manslaughter case, while the third accused has since died.