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Canada’s Canadian Biosafety Standard (CBS), 2nd Edition, 2015, is a harmonized national standard for the handling or storing of human and terrestrial animal pathogens and toxins in Canada.

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) are examples of RG3 pathogens where the pathogen risk and CL assessments have been revisited by the Agency in conjunction with HIV/HTLV specialists based on current risks associated with activities involving these pathogens. It has been determined that HIV & HTLV-1 can be safely handled at CL2/CL2-Ag with specific additional operational requirements (see Section 4.0). This Biosafety Directive is intended to provide a comprehensive overview of the risk assessment outcomes, subsequent CL decisions, and considerations that have been made for those working with HIV and HTLV-1. The Biosafety Directive for HIV and HTLV-1 is to be used in conjunction with the CBSG.

This biosafety advisory is being provided by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to assist clinical, diagnostic, and research laboratories in implementing proper biosafety procedures to safely handle samples that may contain SARS-CoV-2. This biosafety advisory also aims to support local risk assessments (LRAs) of facilities where whole live SARS-CoV-2 or purified or chemically synthesized full length SARS-CoV-2 RNA are handled. SARS-CoV-2 is the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in December 2019. This biosafety advisory is based on the scientific evidence available as of November 2, 2021, and is subject to review and revisions as new information becomes available.

The biosafety handbook on safe and secure handling of pathogens and toxins in Canada.

"In Canada, facilities that handle or store Risk Group 2 (RG2), RG3, and RG4 human pathogens or toxins are regulated by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) under the Human Pathogens and Toxins Act (HPTA) and the Human Pathogens and Toxins Regulations (HPTR). The importation of animal pathogens, infected animals, animal products or by-products (e.g., tissue, serum), or other substances that may carry an animal pathogen or a part of one (e.g., toxin) are regulated by the PHAC or the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) under the Health of Animals Act (HAA) and Health of Animals Regulations (HAR). In Canada, facilities that handle or store Risk Group 2 (RG2), RG3, and RG4 human pathogens or toxins are regulated by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) under the Human Pathogens and Toxins Act (HPTA) and the Human Pathogens and Toxins Regulations (HPTR). The importation of animal pathogens, infected animals, animal products or by-products (e.g., tissue, serum), or other substances that may carry an animal pathogen or a part of one (e.g., toxin) are regulated by the PHAC or the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) under the Health of Animals Act (HAA) and Health of Animals Regulations (HAR).

The Canada Communicable Disease Report is a bilingual, open-access, peer-reviewed journal on the prevention and control of emerging and persistent infectious diseases.

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) conducts biosafety and biosecurity inspections to verify organizations’ compliance with the Human Pathogens and Toxins Act (HPTA), the Human Pathogens and Toxins Regulations (HPTR), and the applicable sections of the Health of Animals Act and Health of Animals Regulations (HAA/HAR).

The inspections allow PHAC to determine if an organization meets the conditions of its
Pathogen and Toxin Licence, as well as to identify deficiencies and provide corrective
measures to prevent serious safety risks.

"The Canadian Biosafety Guidelines have been developed by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) as an ongoing series of biosafety and biosecurity themed guidance documents. In Canada, most facilities where human and terrestrial animal pathogens or toxins are handled and stored are regulated by the PHAC and the CFIA under the Human Pathogens and Toxins Act (HPTA), Human Pathogens and Toxins Regulations (HPTR), Health of Animals Act (HAA), and Health of Animals Regulations (HAR). Regulated facilities are required to develop and maintain a biosecurity plan, in accordance with the requirements established in the Canadian Biosafety Standard (CBS), 2nd Edition. The Canadian Biosafety Handbook (CBH), 2nd Edition aims to provide stakeholders with support and guidance on how to conduct biosecurity risk assessments and the core components of a robust biosecurity plan to appropriately address biosecurity risks with the pathogens and toxins in their possession.

This report provides the descriptive epidemiology of active tuberculosis (TB)
disease in Canada from 2008 to 2018 with a specific focus on 2018, including
the incidence of drug-resistant TB disease. Treatment outcomes, including the
success rate of TB treatment from 2007 to 2017, are also examined.

This biosafety advisory is being provided by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to assist clinical, diagnostic, and research laboratories in implementing proper biosafety procedures to handle samples that may contain SARS-CoV-2.