Gatineau office building treated for bedbugs

Hundreds of federal public servants are back in their Gatineau offices after their building was treated for a stubborn bedbug problem.

Workers at 70 rue Crémazie, near boulevard des Allumettières and Highway 50, were told last Tuesday to stay home, according to the union that represents between 500 and 600 of them. The Canada Employment and Immigration Union said the bedbug infestation began last year.

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), which manages government properties, said it was treating the entire building — and, if necessary, employees' homes — to get rid of the bedbugs.

Late Wednesday, PSPC confirmed the treatment of 70 Crémazie was completed on Monday and employees have begun returning to the office. 

The department said will be providing "preventative decontamination" of one employee's home after they reported issues that could be related to bed bugs.

Bedbugs can get into homes and buildings on furniture or clothes, and travellers can inadvertently bring the biting insects home in suitcases.

Ottawa Public Health says the pests aren't known to cause disease, but their bites can cause an itchy reaction.