Winnipeg Operations Centre

Responding quickly and effectively to a health emergency requires the rapid integration of various resources.  The Winnipeg Operations Centre allows experts to assemble and focus on the issues at hand in a secure, appropriately equipped facility with trained support personnel.

PHAC has two principal operations centres, one in Winnipeg and one in Ottawa, which, along with a third backup centre, form a system ready to respond to calls for assistance from provincial and territorial governments, other parts of the Government of Canada or international health organizations. This system is linked to the government-wide Emergency Management Response System managed by Public Safety Canada (PS).

The Winnipeg Ops Centre is used daily for ongoing surveillance as well as facilitating video conferences and meetings. Both during and between emergencies, it can incorporate laboratory results, co-ordinate information from various networks and surveillance systems, as well as provide support to mobile response teams on national and international missions.

The Winnipeg Operations Centre is housed within the renowned laboratory facility known as the Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health.

The Operations centre has four levels of Operation:

Level 1

Normal Response: The Ops Centre generally operates on this level. Staff conduct day-to-day business and the Centre is available for training exercises, meetings and ongoing surveillance activities.

Level 2

Moderate Response: Normal activities continue to be carried out, but Ops Centre staff begin monitoring an evolving situation. Contingency plans are reviewed and personnel are put on stand-by.

Level 3

Augmented Response: Ongoing surveillance is increased, partial staffing may occur and hours may be extended (eg. 12/24 or 16/24.)

Level 4

Health Portfolio Response: The Public Health Agency of Canada’s Emergency Response Plan is activated. The Ops Centre is staffed and ready to provide 24/7 support, if required.

NML Duty Officer

The National Microbiology Laboratory has a Duty Officer to provide 24 hour 7 days a week emergency contact for all scientific inquires directed to the National Microbiology Laboratory from private/regional/provincial/federal health and safety departments. The Duty Officer is the contact person for the NML after normal office hours for stakeholders with emergency inquires for information on specific tests and for personnel contact information within the NML. Any outbreaks or large scale public health events can also be reported to the NML Duty Officer who will notify the appropriate incident response personnel of the situation.  For these incidents, they may be contacted for information regarding who/where the specimens should be addressed to at the NML, and can be a contact for determining appropriate shipping instructions for the transportation of potential specimens to be sent to the NML.