BROCKVILLE, Ont. – A Bolton-based contractor has been fined $45,000 and sentenced to 30 days in prison for failing to comply with health and safety regulations and procedures for the removal of asbestos. A Jan. 15 court bulletin from the Ontario Ministry of Labour (MOL) identified the contractor as Daniel Lane, whose business, HomeSeal, had provided asbestos-removal services throughout Southern and Eastern Ontario. In Aug. 2014, Lane and one of his employees were contracted to remove insulation from the attic of a house in Gananoque. But the employer had not notified the MOL of the job, nor did he have a written health and safety procedure or post a copy of the Occupational Health and Safety Act at the worksite, the MOL noted. In addition, Lane had not completed the proper training for asbestos removal, and he and the employee did not seal off the rest of the house from the job, post warning signs about the asbestos-dust hazard or provide decontamination facilities. Although the workers wore respirators, they had not been properly trained to use them, and they wore only T-shirts and jeans during the task. A subsequent investigation by the MOL, the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change and the Kingston Police Force found that HomeSeal had illegally dumped 13 large vacuum bags full of asbestos-containing insulation; the bags were not properly sealed and had no warning marks. At the Ontario Court of Justice in Brockville, Judge John Doran found Lane guilty of nine charges on Jan. 14; on top of the fine, Lane is required to pay a 25 per cent victim fine surcharge.