Ottawa, province help innovation centre streamline PPE testing in Western Canada

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This article was published 03/09/2020 (2218 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — A Winnipeg institute will soon be able to certify protective face masks and speed up the availability of personal protective equipment across Western Canada.

That’s thanks to a $400,000 investment split between the Trudeau and Pallister governments to reduce the time it takes to test N-95 respirators, from 12 weeks to 14 days.

The money will help the Orthopaedic Innovation Centre, located near Concordia Hospital, buy equipment so it can test the masks used to prevent COVID-19 exposure.

“We’ve been at the forefront of developing technologies here in Manitoba around reusable N-95 respirators, and we had challenges non-stop trying to find testing. So we had to create this capability in our province to make this happen,” said Martin Petrak, the centre’s CEO.

The OIC mostly focuses on creating and testing medical equipment. But since 2014, it has run a division producing gear for manufacturing and mining companies.

The funding announced Thursday follows companies in Manitoba and other provinces creating N-95 masks which, during the pandemic, have become expensive and difficult to acquire from overseas.

“Obviously the stakes are important,” federal Economic Development Minister Mélanie Joly told OIC staff in a videoconference.

“We believe in your expertise; we believe in Manitobans and that is why were are your allies and investing in you, and wanted to show you that we’re trusting your team.”

The OIC intends to test masks for dentists, veterinarians, aerospace workers and particularly medical workers, whom provincial Central Services Minister Reg Helwer praised.

“This will ensure front-line health-care providers have the product they need to provide quality care for their patients across the province,” he said.

Petrak expects his team to start testing masks later this month that are ready to be mass-produced as well as initial components and prototypes made by Canadian companies.

The OIC will charge manufacturers only for the costs it incurs to do the testing.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca