![\"Text](\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/a\/assets\/texttospeech.svg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Listen to this article<\/p>\n
Estimated 3 minutes<\/p>\n
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.<\/p>\n
Public service unions say reports of pests in federal buildings across the National Capital Region reflect ongoing problems with workplace conditions, as federal employees face increased pressure to return to offices.<\/p>\n
Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) told CBC News that between April 1 and Nov. 24, there were 549 confirmed reports of pests in 93 Crown-owned buildings in Ottawa-Gatineau.<\/p>\n
These pests include, but aren\u2019t limited to, ants, bats, bedbugs, bees\/wasps, birds, mice\/rodents, and various small insects.<\/p>\n
Sean O\u2019Reilly, president of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), said the figures match what his union is hearing from members.<\/p>\n
\u201cFive hundred reports in eight months, that\u2019s not a rounding error. That\u2019s a real problem with federal workplaces,\u201d O\u2019Reilly said.<\/p>\n
He said members regularly contact representatives about office conditions, and the union feels \u201cthe employer isn\u2019t doing enough to address some of these concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n
O\u2019Reilly said members have reported dead mice in kitchenettes and bedbugs in offices, with some areas closed temporarily for fumigation to deal with infestations.<\/p>\n
Those conditions, O\u2019Reilly said, affect workers\u2019 ability to do their jobs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they go into an office that is substandard and potentially unsafe, it definitely is affecting their productivity and their ability to serve Canadians,\u201d O\u2019Reilly said.<\/p>\n
PSPC said pests are very common in commercial real estate and that these reports are isolated incidents and \u201cdo not constitute an outbreak\/infestation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The agency, which supports federal departments and agencies in their daily operations, stated it takes reports of pests very seriously. It said pest management programs are incorporated into building operations and reports are investigated promptly.<\/p>\n
Health and safety concerns<\/p>\n
Alex Silas, national executive vice-president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), said his union is hearing similar complaints.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, that\u2019s the reality in federal office buildings here in the National Capital Region,\u201d said Silas, adding that the same goes for federal buildings across the country.<\/p>\n
He said pest issues in federal buildings are not new.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018I found mouse droppings on my desk. That\u2019s gross.\u2019 That\u2019s what we\u2019re hearing from a lot of members,\u201d Silas said. “Nobody deserves to work in an environment where they\u2019re worried about bringing bed bugs back home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silas said the problem raises concerns as the federal government continues to push for more in-office work.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is not reasonable to expect a worker to return to an office that is filled with pests,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He also pointed to broader issues with federal office infrastructure in the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cRoughly 25 per cent or more of federal office worksites in Ottawa and Gatineau are in need of some major renovations in order to be usable as workplaces,\u201d Silas said.<\/p>\n
Both unions say workers should raise future pest concerns through the workplace health and safety processes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to this article Estimated 3 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":366447,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43,44,41,39,42,40],"class_list":{"0":"post-366446","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-top-news","11":"tag-top-stories","12":"tag-topnews","13":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366446","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=366446"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366446\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/366447"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=366446"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=366446"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=366446"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}