Reflections on Ontario’s new CO law
A six-year crusade for John Gignac ended Oct. 15, when the HawkinsGignac Act was passed in Ontario, making carbon monoxide (CO) alarms mandatory in every residence in the province if there is a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
It was personally gratifying for Gignac and his family. Six years earlier, his niece Laurie Hawkins, her husband Richard and children Cassandra and Jordan, all died from carbon monoxide poisoning from a blocked chimney vent attached to their gas fireplace.
That tragedy spurred Gignac on to advocate for greater carbon monoxide safety in the province.
He was honoured to be consulted on the writing of the new law’s final regulations. But the former Brantford, Ont., firefighter isn’t resting on his laurels — he’s working to get carbon monoxide laws passed throughout Canada.
Here are Gignac’s reflections on the law that bears his family’s names. What are the main points of Ontario’s new CO law?
The key point is that it is now the law that homes of any age at risk of CO exposure have to have working, approved CO alarms in their homes no later than April 15.
That’s the end of the phase-in period for private residences and for landlords with fewer than six units. For anyone with more than six units, they have until Oct 15. If you don’t comply, then you’re liable for fines — similar to those for smoke alarms. What does this law mean to you?
It’s satisfying and gratifying to my family to get this law passed because it’s in honour of my niece and her family who passed away.
So this will keep Laurie’s memory alive forever.
But it is also gratifying for any family to be named in a law that is going to save lives and that’s what this law is going to do. What does the CO law mean for Ontario?
I think the province should be proud of the fact that they are protecting their citizens. Although it took much longer than expected.
It’s like smoke alarms — they are very effective tools to help a family escape a fire in the home, but took a while to catch on.
This is going to prevent tragedies in the home from carbon monoxide. All the politicians I’ve talked to are ecstatic about this law finally being passed, especially Ernie Hardeman, the Oxford MPP who sponsored the bill from day one. Why is public awareness so important?
It’s important to follow the law because it’s the only way you’ll ever know the silent killer is in your home. Carbon monoxide is colourless, odourless and tasteless. So the only way you will know it’s there is if you have a working CO alarm. You can see smoke, you can feel heat, but with carbon monoxide, you have to have an alarm in your home because there are no other obvious signs that are going to tell you. To make it worse, low-level CO poisoning symptoms are similar to the flu, except you don’t have a fever. People need to understand the symptoms and the potential sources of this deadly gas. What should people know about CO alarms?
These are very high-tech devices. When they sound, take it seriously. The biggest unknown is that they only have a shelf life of seven to 10 years, depending on the manufacturer. So you have to remember to test and replace them whether battery or hard-wired.
The newest alarms are worry-free — the battery is sealed inside the unit and it lasts 10 years without changing. So once the alarm is installed, you don’t have to worry about it. Just keep it clean and test it. It even beeps when it is time to replace it. What message do you have for those who have yet to comply?
The law’s not there to punish anybody. It’s there to make the people do something that they might not realize they should do to keep their family safe. My message is go out there today and get a CO alarm to protect your family. Don’t wait for a tragedy to make you do it. It’s a common sense issue as far as I’m concerned. Go out and get a CO alarm that’s going to last you 10 years. The cost is low — it will cost you about $4 a year to protect your family — but the benefit is very high.