Canadian Mesothelioma Foundation

09/26/2026

International Mesothelioma Awareness Day

Today, we pause to remember those affected by mesothelioma, a disease almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure. This is a day dedicated to raising awareness about mesothelioma and to supporting those affected by this terrible cancer.

In Canada, there has been progress in protecting workers and raising awareness about mesothelioma risks:

✔️ Asbestos has been banned in Canada (2018), thanks to the efforts of many advocates, including CMF.

✔️ Access to workers' compensation for asbestos-related diseases is improving. Most recently, Ontario expanded coverage to include gastrointestinal cancers caused by asbestos exposure.

✔️ CMF funded the first professorship in mesothelioma at the University Health Network, University of Toronto and, in total, has contributed over $1 million to support Canada’s most comprehensive mesothelioma program.

While much has been achieved, there is still more to do. CMF is dedicated to supporting those affected by mesothelioma and raising awareness about the dangers of the asbestos that remains all around us in our built environment.

Learn more about mesothelioma in Canada: cmfonline.org

09/18/2026

The 2026 Mission for Meso Gala wouldn't be possible without the organizations standing behind it. Our sponsors make vital research, education, and support programs possible for Canadians affected by mesothelioma, a devastating asbestos-related cancer and the leading cause of work-related deaths in Canada.

Thank you to this year’s sponsors:
Insulators Union
Miskin Law Professional Corporation
Ontario Pipe Trades Council
Motley Rice Attorneys at Law
Atherton Law Firm
United Association Local 46
Canada's Building Trades Unions

Don’t miss your chance to join us for this year’s Mission for Meso Gala!
✨ Live entertainment by Ensemble Studio of the Canadian Opera Company
✨ Delectable canapés by McEwan Catering
✨ Open bar
✨ Silent auction

📅 September 24, 2026 | 6 PM to 9 PM
📍 Jackman Lounge, Four Seasons Centre For The Performing Arts, 145 Queen Street West, Toronto

🎟️ Purchase tickets or make a donation: https://CMF-Mission-for-Meso-Gala-2026.auctria.events

Interested in becoming a sponsor? Send us a message or email [email protected]

09/14/2026

Ten more sleeps until Mission for Meso, our annual fundraiser to raise much needed funds for mesothelioma research, as well as the CMF's programs and services.

Join us for an unforgettable evening of spectacular entertainment, delectable canapes, and a silent auction to raise awareness and funds for those affected by mesothelioma. This year, our event will honour Line Isabelle-Laird for her fundraising contributions to the CMF. Between 2020 and 2025, Line raised close to $100,000 for the CMF in honour of her late husband, Scott R. Laird, who died from mesothelioma in 2019.

Tickets are still available for purchase at https://CMF-Mission-for-Meso-Gala-2026.auctria.events

08/21/2026

We're very excited to welcome back Nicole Servinis for her 3rd year hosting the Mission for Meso Gala! 🎉

Nicole is a familiar face to many Canadians, known for her work as a host and reporter, including her time with ET Canada and Breakfast Television. But when she's not in front of the camera, she's a dedicated advocate for our cause.

As someone who has witnessed a loved one suffer with the long-term effects of a workplace-related illness, Nicole is passionate about preventing occupational exposure to hazardous materials such as asbestos.

In her words:

"Exposure can happen in so many everyday scenarios: a tradesperson cutting through drywall or insulation in an older home, a mechanic working on old brake pads, even a do-it-yourselfer unknowingly disturbing old flooring or ceiling tiles during renovations. Any one of those moments could change a life forever. It could be your son, your daughter, your parent, or your partner.”

We're grateful to have Nicole back on our stage, using her voice to help raise both awareness and funds for mesothelioma patients and families across Canada.

Don't miss your chance to join us for the 2026 Mission for Meso Gala. Every ticket and donation supports mesothelioma patients, families, and research across Canada.

What to expect:
✨ Live entertainment by the Canadian Opera Company
✨ Delectable canapés by McEwan Catering
✨ Open bar
✨ Silent auction

📅 September 24, 2026 | 6 PM – 9 PM
📍 Jackman Lounge, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen Street West, Toronto

🎟️ Get your tickets today!
To purchase tickets or make a donation, go to https://CMF-Mission-for-Meso-Gala-2026.auctria.events

08/12/2026

Born and raised in Saskatchewan, Scott Roberts Laird was a gifted athlete who went on to play professional hockey in Germany. After retiring from hockey at age 28, Scott met his wife Line and started a family in Calgary.

Scott was diagnosed with mesothelioma at the age of 59, decades after being exposed to asbestos during a summer job he had as a teenager. After a brief battle with the disease, Scott passed away from pleural mesothelioma on September 21, 2019.

Since 2020, Line Isabelle-Laird has honoured Scott’s memory and celebrated his life by raising money for the CMF. With donations totalling nearly $100,000, the success of those events has become a testament to Scott's enduring impact and the community he built over a lifetime.

For anyone wanting to honour their loved one’s memory, Line had this to share:

• The first is that you have to stay strong and keep moving ahead in their honor. This is hard on the heart.

• The second is to think about what they loved to do. What were their habits? What was their favourite way to spend time?

• The third is to identify who will be there to support you. Who was his support group? Who was – and is – your support group? Bring people together, ask questions, and come up with a plan together.

• The fourth is that no matter what you come up with, put your whole heart in it and always talk to CMF about it. They are your best resource.

The Canadian Mesothelioma Foundation will celebrate Line's incredible fundraising work at the 2026 Mission for Meso Gala on September 24th. To join us in honouring Line, or to make a donation to help support mesothelioma research, patients and their families, go to https://CMF-Mission-for-Meso-Gala-2026.auctria.events.

If you would like to read more about Scott and Line, the full article is available at cmfonline.org/cmf-newsletter-archive

💙

07/30/2026

Save the date and get your tickets now!

Join us for an unforgettable evening in support of those affected by mesothelioma, a devastating asbestos-related cancer and the leading cause of work-related deaths in Canada.

What to expect:
✨ Live entertainment by the Canadian Opera Company
✨ Delectable canapés by McEwan Catering
✨ Open bar
✨ Silent auction

Honouring Line Isabelle-Laird
Since 2020, Line has raised close to $100,000 for the CMF in honour of her late husband, Scott R. Laird, who passed away from mesothelioma in 2019. We’re proud to celebrate her incredible contributions.

📅 September 24, 2026 | 6 PM – 9 PM
📍 Jackman Lounge, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen Street West, Toronto

🎟️ Get your tickets today!
Visit https://CMF-Mission-for-Meso-Gala-2026.auctria.events to purchase tickets or make a donation.

Every ticket and donation supports mesothelioma patients, families, and research across Canada. Don’t wait – tickets are limited!

07/21/2026

Firefighters run toward danger so the rest of us can run to safety. But the risks don’t always end when the fire is out.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer, WHO(IARC) classifies firefighting as a Group 1 carcinogen. This is the highest classification, reserved for exposure circumstances where there is sufficient scientific evidence to conclude that a substance or situation causes cancer in humans. One of the cancer sites with the strongest evidence was mesothelioma.

Six studies conducted in Canada, the US, Australia, and the Nordic countries have found an increased risk of mesothelioma among firefighters. In the Canadian study of approximately 13,600 Ontario firefighters, researchers from the Occupational Cancer Research Centre found that they face a 56% increased risk of mesothelioma.

The great majority of mesotheliomas are caused by asbestos exposure. When firefighters respond to fires, building collapses, or perform post-incident clean-up in older structures that contain asbestos, fibres are released into the air, where they can be inhaled.

Reducing the risk is possible. Proper use of personal protective equipment, thorough decontamination after incidents, and better education and training can help reduce exposure, preventing mesothelioma and other cancers. In 2023, the federal government of Canada passed legislation establishing a national framework for the prevention and treatment of cancers linked to firefighting. Every Canadian jurisdiction has a presumption that certain prescribed cancer sites, such as mesothelioma, are related to the occupation of firefighting, provided that minimum employment duration requirements are met.

Learn more about mesothelioma and asbestos exposure at www.cmfonline.org

Learn more about firefighter cancer presumptions at awcbc.org/files/benchmark-tables/Firefighter_Presumptions.pdf

Source:
occupationalcancer.ca/resources/flames-and-risks-firefighting-causes-cancer/

07/02/2026

On July 8th at 6:30 pm Eastern (3:30 pm Pacific, 4:30 pm Mountain), the CMF will be hosting a virtual support group session for mesothelioma patients and their caregivers via Zoom. To register for the session, please click on the link below.

Information on how to join the session, along with the Zoom link, will be emailed to those who register.

CMF Virtual Support Group Registration - July 8, 2026

06/23/2026

In a recent seminar, Professor Mieke Koehoorn from the UBC School of Population and Public Health presented the findings of a new systematic review and meta-analysis on the risk of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers and occupational asbestos exposure.

For years, the evidence linking asbestos to GI cancers was considered "suggestive" or "limited". However, after reviewing nearly 200 original studies involving over 3,500 unique citations, the research team has reached a clearer conclusion.

Key Takeaways:

• A Causal Link: The study supports a causal relationship between occupational asbestos exposure and increased risks for esophageal, stomach, and colorectal cancers.

• Higher Risks in Specific Jobs: Workers in high-exposure roles, particularly asbestos insulation workers, showed significantly stronger associations with these cancers.

• Strength in Consistency: While some individual risk estimates may seem small, their persistence and consistency across decades of data—regardless of study design or location—underscore the reality of the risk.

Why This Matters: This research provided the evidence base for the Ontario WSIB’s new policy on gastrointestinal cancers caused by workplace asbestos exposure. The policy recognizes asbestos-related GI cancer as an occupational disease and sets out guidelines to help speed up claims decisions and access to benefits for affected workers and their survivors.

For more information, including links to the open source publication and the WBIB policy, visit https://cmfonline.org/tags/in-the-news

04/27/2026

Each year on April 28th, we honour everyone who has lost their life, suffered injury or illness, or been affected by a work-related tragedy. At the Canadian Mesothelioma Foundation, we join in remembering all workers, while reflecting on the devastating impact of asbestos exposure through mesothelioma, asbestos-related lung cancer, and other asbestos-related diseases.

Although these cases are from past exposure, the danger isn't over. Right now, 235,000 Canadian workers (many in construction) are still at risk when working with old buildings containing asbestos.

We pause to remember the lives taken by this disease and renew our commitment to preventing future illnesses. We are grateful to stand with those building safer workplaces and to support the families who need us most.

If you would like to attend a National Day of Mourning Ceremony, visit canadianlabour.ca/events/day-of-mourning-ceremonies-2026 for a list of locations.

Image: “Magic and Lethal: The Asbestos Memorial” in Vancouver, BC.
Photo by The Vancouver Convention Centre