Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission stops demolition at former radium dial painting factory.
Fears that radioactive dust could shower the crowds at Yonge-Dundas Square have prompted Canada’s nuclear watchdog to stop the scheduled demolition of a contaminated building.
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission ordered HNR Properties to cease all demolition activities at 258 Victoria St., which was once a radium dial painting factory, because the residual radioactive contamination in the building would be released if the building is torn down.
Since “demolition work is imminent,” the order was “deemed necessary to ensure the health and safety of workers and the public and protections of the environment,” inspector Dana Pandolfi wrote in a letter to the developer last week.
A 39-storey mixed residential-commercial development, which would preserve the historical buildings facing Dundas Square and add a new tower behind them, has been in the works for at least five years.
The development was recommended for approval in a 2009 city staff report, as it met the official plan for intensification and reflects the city’s design principles.
There was no mention of radioactive material in the city’s report. The city issued a demolition permit in August 2012 and can revoke the permit if work hasn’t started in six months.
It is unclear exactly when the demolition was scheduled to start.
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