Mould forces evacuation of Halifax heritage building

The Nova Scotia government has evacuated 50 provincial employees out of their downtown Halifax building for safety concerns after a mould problem was recently uncovered.

The Dennis Building has had air quality problems for years, but the most recent air test revealed higher than normal levels of mould.

That led officials to order the dozens of people who work in the seven-storey structure to move out.

Infrastructure Renewal Minister Maurice Smith said it's not clear whether those people will be allowed to return.

"At this stage, like I’ve said, we’ve moved people out on a temporary base at least. We’re going to have crews go in there and look at it and determine what exactly the nature of the problem is. If it can be remedied we’ll be doing that and if not we’ll have to determine what the next best plan is for the building," he said.

Smith said the mould was found on one of the building’s upper floors.

It was built in the 1860s, but was completely remodelled after a fire gutted the premises in 1912.