Grand Valley features a compact historic downtown along Main Street, newer commercial sites along Dufferin Road 109, and a range of offices, restaurants and local services that support the surrounding community. Many of these commercial and institutional buildings were constructed or renovated between the 1950s and 1980s, when asbestos-containing materials were standard in many building assemblies.
During that time, asbestos-containing materials were commonly used for:
- Boiler and mechanical room insulation in commercial blocks and public buildings
- Floor tiles and mastics in shops, offices, restaurants and service spaces
- Acoustic ceiling tiles and pipe wraps in offices, schools, libraries and other institutional facilities
As businesses have turned over and uses have changed—from local shops to restaurants, offices and services—there are often concealed asbestos-containing materials above ceilings, behind finishes, and in corridor and service spaces, which typically appear only when interior upgrades or expansions are planned.