Public Health Agency not renewing contracts of over 800 employees, including 245 at Winnipeg lab: union – CBC

PHAC says contracts of temporary employees will end as COVID-19 funding dries up

Jan 23, 2025

The union representing workers with the Public Health Agency of Canada says the federal government is not renewing the contracts of over 800 employees, including at least 245 at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg.

Shimen Fayad, national president of the Union of Health and Environment Workers, told Radio-Canada in an email the health agency initially said job reductions would be done through attrition, but “now we see many of our members losing [their] term position.”

Some are longtime employees, including one with 14 years experience, she said.

The term positions that are ending include 245 at the National Microbiology Lab, which is currently the only Level 4 biosafety lab in the country — meaning it can handle the most dangerous pathogens.

According to the Treasury Board, the Public Health Agency had 4,251 employees as of the end of March last year, almost twice the number it had at the beginning of 2020.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/phac-job-cuts-national-microbiology-laboratory-1.7440048