The first week of April is Global Asbestos Awareness Week and Saskatchewan has the first mandatory Asbestos registry in the country, often referred to as Howard’s Law.

Howard Willems who was dying of mesothelioma pushed for the creation of the registry of public sector buildings that contain asbestos. That came to fruition in 2013, a year after Willem’s died at age 59.

The Government of Saskatchewan in a news release says as of December 31, 2024, more than 5,200 facilities had been registered in the searchable online tool. The asbestos registry is publicly available at saskatchewan.ca.

Lung Sask says Howard Willems Howard was a food inspector for the federal government and he inspected dairy and honey facilities, many of which contained asbestos, and Howard was present during renovations. Asbestos was regularly used in buildings until the late 1990s. If disturbed the tiny fibres are released into the air and when breathed in, they can become trapped in the lungs.