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CLOSEUP OF A LIVE BEDBUG, HELD BY LORNE CHADWICK.Julie Oliver / Ottawa Citizen

Bedbugs have invaded another federal government building in downtown Ottawa.

Employees at Fisheries and Oceans Canada were notified Wednesday that an insect, found on the 13th floor of 200 Kent Street, has been positively identified as a bedbug by pest management experts at Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC).

We are working with PSPC pest management experts who will be performing a canine inspection before determining the extent of the issue, employees were told in an email shared with this newspaper.

Depending on the advice of the pest management experts from PSPC, a full treatment of the affected area may be required. Elements of the treatment could include vacuuming, steaming and other measures. Whenever possible, treatments are done after hours to minimize the impact on employees.

Federal employees in the building were told that theyd be expected to report to work as usual while the extent of the problem was determined.

The notice reminded employees that early reporting remains the cornerstone of effective management of any pest, and encouraged them to contact the national service call centre immediately if they suspect bedbugs in their workplace.

The glass and steel building at 200 Kent Street is also home to offices of the Canadian Coast Guard and the Tax Court of Canada.

It is the sixth federal office building in the capital to report an issue with bedbugs in recent weeks. The Public Service Alliance of Canada has called on the government to use sniffer dogs to check all federal office buildings and introduce training for workers so that they can identify the bloodsucking insects.

This is a serious health and safety issue affecting workers and the government needs to take proactive measures to eradicate bedbugs in all federal buildings, Eddy Bourque, national president of the Canada Employment and Immigration Union, said last week.

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Bedbugs have invaded another federal government building in downtown Ottawa - The Province

Bedbugs have invaded another federal government building in downtown Ottawa.

Employees at Fisheries and Oceans Canada were notified Wednesday that an insect, found on the 13th floor of 200 Kent Street, has been positively identified as a bedbug by pest management experts at Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC).

We are working with PSPC pest management experts who will be performing a canine inspection before determining the extent of the issue, employees were told in an email shared with this newspaper.

Depending on the advice of the pest management experts from PSPC, a full treatment of the affected area may be required. Elements of the treatment could include vacuuming, steaming and other measures. Whenever possible, treatments are done after hours to minimize the impact on employees.

Federal employees in the building were told that theyd be expected to report to work as usual while the extent of the problem was determined.

The notice reminded employees that early reporting remains the cornerstone of effective management of any pest, and encouraged them to contact the national service call centre immediately if they suspect bedbugs in their workplace.

The glass and steel building at 200 Kent Street is also home to offices of the Canadian Coast Guard and the Tax Court of Canada.

It is the sixth federal office building in the capital to report an issue with bedbugs in recent weeks. The Public Service Alliance of Canada has called on the government to use sniffer dogs to check all federal office buildings and introduce training for workers so that they can identify the bloodsucking insects.

This is a serious health and safety issue affecting workers and the government needs to take proactive measures to eradicate bedbugs in all federal buildings, Eddy Bourque, national president of the Canada Employment and Immigration Union, said last week.

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Bedbug discovered in another government office building - Ottawa Citizen

A fourth federal government office building is being treated for bedbugs, and while Public Services and Procurement Canada says the problem remains low-level, one union says it has the potential to cause bigger trouble.

Workers at 22 Eddy St. in Gatineau were working from home Thursday.

From what Ive been told, its only on the eighth floor that they have found some (bedbugs), said Eddy Bourque of the Public Service Alliance of Canada.

But as weve seen with the workplace on Crmazie, they thought it was just one floor and when they did testing it was found on every single floor. So I think this is bringing awareness of the problem.

Google street view of 22 Eddy St.Postmedia

It seems like were seeing a trend here and I know in Montreal its the same thing.

The bugs can hitch a ride in a handbag or on someones clothing and travel to the employees home, he said. The union wants their employer to pay for cases where a workers home is contaminated after exposure at work.

Its a concern for the health and safety of the members.

PSPC wrote to say a small number of bugs were discovered at 22 Eddy on Tuesday, adding: Immediate action was taken that same evening and included specialized removal of affected office equipment, specialized inspection of work stations and common areas, steam cleaning of affected and adjacent work stations and installation of specialized traps. On October 25, the pest control company will proceed with treatment of the entire floor where the bed bugs were discovered. Employees of the affected workstations area have been asked by their employer, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), to work from home until the situation has been resolved. The pest control specialists have implemented measures that are allowing continued occupation of the rest of the building.

Three other government office buildings were recently affected by bedbugs:

350 King Edward Ave. Bugs were found, the area was sprayed, and PSPC says bugs have not been found recently.

70 Crmazie in Gatineau, where workers were recently sent home to allow for spraying and cleaning.

325 Queen St. on the seventh floor west. This has been a low-level infestation lasting from the summer of 2018 until recently, PSPC says. It says bugs continued to show up in traps in a small area, one or two at a time, but they have not been seen in recent checks.

Bedbugs are good at hiding in carpets, upholstery and dark corners. They come out at night and bite people as they sleep. The bites do not cause disease but can become itchy or sore. Extreme cases can cause significant blood loss.

Ottawa Public Health has extensive information on bedbugs online.

tspears@postmedia.com

twitter.com/TomSpears1

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Fourth federal government office building treated for bedbugs - Ottawa Citizen