Raymond re-opening

We can confirm that a significant part of the Raymond building will re-open Friday, March 31, 2023, including nearly all classrooms.

• Spaces where dust tested positive have been cleaned under asbestos safety protocols.
• All air tests have come back under the regulatory threshold, here in Raymond and also through Macdonald-Stewart and Barton.
• Regular cleaning is now underway.

However, all the first floor (rooms beginning with “R1”) of the building will remain closed as the need to seal off the construction site has unfortunately limited access and exits. Please note that classroom R1-042 will remain closed.

Therefore, classes located in the Raymond building, with the exception of those in classroom R1-042, can resume in person effective Friday, March 31. Instructors are asked to please communicate with students to confirm that the class will be in person.

Of course, the portion of the Raymond building that is under construction will also remain closed and sealed off from access.

Macdonald-Stewart Building

You may recall that the southern half of the first floor of the Macdonald-Stewart building did not re-open on March 14. The continued closure was due to hallways being obstructed by the presence of equipment and temporary structures used for cleaning under asbestos safety protocols.

The corridors and nearly all offices and laboratories located on these corridors are open, effective immediately. Dean Geitmann is communicating directly with the faculty occupying those rooms to notify them.

What’s next

With most spaces of the three buildings in the complex open, or about to re-open, McGill’s Emergency Operations Centre will now demobilize. A team from the Facilities Management and Ancillary Services (FMAS) unit will now take over to manage the re-opening of the remaining spaces and the progress of construction in the Raymond building, in coordination with the Dean and Faculty leadership.

You will continue to receive messages about progress in re-opening and the Raymond construction, as well as the impact on academics, research and work, from Denis Mondou, Associate Vice-Principal (Facilities Management and Ancillary Services) and Dean Geitmann.

Please remember that if you have a concern about situations such as dust that was not present the day before or debris or damaged building materials, you can call the Facilities Call Centre (FCC) at 514-398-4555.

All of us working together as part of the Emergency Operations Centre are very glad that nearly all classes can soon be in person, and that most spaces have re-opened following thorough testing, cleaning and re-testing where required. We recognize, however, that some building users are still experiencing disruptions, and the FMAS team is working to open the remaining spaces as soon as it is safe to do so.

The process of getting where we are today has been unexpectedly long and has been very frustrating for many of you, I know. It has been a very tough period for a community that is a unique and special part of the McGill family.

We are confident that our work has created levels of protection that go above and beyond required safety standards, so that you feel comfortable being back on campus. Thank you for your understanding and patience.

Fabrice

Fabrice Labeau, Co-Acting Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic), Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) and planning chief for the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) on behalf of the EOC