EXCLUSIVE: Confirmed Case of Legionnaires’ Disease at Ontario Military Base Prompts Building Demolition

Reservists help pack military vehicles with boats and fuel at CFB Kingston in Kingston, Ont., on May 9, 2017. The Canadian Press/Lars Hagberg

The Defence Department has confirmed that there was a case of Legionnaires’ disease at the Canadian Forces Base (CFB) in Kingston, Ont., late last year, which contaminated a building to the point that there are now plans for it to be demolished.

The individual who contracted the disease was a civilian employee at the Canadian Armed Forces base, whose identity has not been released by Department of National Defence (DND) due to privacy reasons.

The employee contracted Legionnaires’ disease in late November 2022 and the base’s leadership was informed of his condition on Dec. 6, 2022, after he was admitted to hospital, DND told The Epoch Times.

Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia that causes lung inflammation and also occasional infections in wounds and other parts of the body. It stems from a bacterium known as legionella.

The disease can lead to life-threatening complications such as respiratory failure, septic shock, and acute kidney failure.

According to a source at the Kingston base who spoke to The Epoch Times on the condition of anonymity, the patient’s condition reportedly deteriorated to the point where he needed limbs amputated.

The source also said the patient reportedly contracted the disease from legionella that developed in a water puddle inside one of the base’s buildings from an unchecked water leak.

“Immediately after learning of the medical situation of the employee, as a precautionary measure, all occupants of the hospitalized employee’s workplace were relocated to another work location, and access to the building was restricted,” DND told The Epoch Times, adding that there have not been any other reported cases of the disease on the base.

Building Demolition

DND said that a number of sanitation units were contacted to examine the contaminated building after the military base learned of the case.

The federal department said the Real Property Operations Unit (Ontario) Detachment Kingston (RPOU) ran a number of tests on the building through a certified industrial hygienist contract and detected “low levels” of legionella bacteria.

DND said the building was remediated before further tests were carried out on Jan. 9, when 23 new samples of legionella were found.

“An analysis is being conducted to determine where the contents of the warehouse can be relocated, and once moved, RPOU plans to demolish the building,” the department said.

“According to medical experts, the bacteria found in the building very rarely is transmitted from infected people to others, as such there is no threat to the surrounding community or the Defence Team member’s co-workers.”

Access to the building in the meantime is restricted to only emergency requirements, DND added, saying that personal protection equipment such as N95 masks must also be worn inside.

The Epoch Times contacted National Defence Minister Anita Anand’s press secretary for comment but didn’t hear back by publication time.

Living Conditions

The Epoch Times previously reported on living conditions at the Canadian Forces School of Communications and Electronics (CFSCE) and the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC), both of which are also which located in Kingston. 

Canadian Armed Forces’ members stationed at CFSCE listed a number of building issues in a document obtained by The Epoch Times in November 2022, which included black mould, mice infestations, and numerous water leaks. 

A leaked briefing note from October 2022 that was authored by a captain and reviewed by a lieutenant-colonel also addressed poor living conditions at the school.

“The corner of a four-person room cannot be made your home,“ it read, adding that the live-in students were ”inadequately housed.”

CFB Kingston Deputy Commander Lt.-Col. Christopher Durant said in an email that the school has undertaken a number of “multi-million-dollar projects” to address the issues, which include upgrades for the school’s heating, air conditioning, and ventilation systems, among others.