Federal government trashed millions worth of PPE before COVID struck | Canadian Taxpayers Federation - James Wood:
July 29, 2021 - "The federal government threw millions of dollars worth of personal protective equipment [PPE] in the garbage months before COVID-19 arrived in Canada, according to exclusive records obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.....
"The disposal took place in September of 2019, during the closure of one of the Public Health Agency of Canada [PHAC]'s National Emergency Supply Stockpile warehouses located in Regina, SK. An estimated two million N95 masks and other assorted personal protective equipment were sent to the local dump. The original cost to purchase the PPE was $1,194,474, according to the records. Out of the landfilled PPE, $888,150 was made up of medium to large N95 masks, which skyrocketed in price during COVID-19. Face shields, surgical masks and other emergency medical supplies were also thrown away.... The feds disposed of the original masks in Sept. 2019 because they were reaching the end of their 'useful life,' according to the government....
"The CTF spoke with retired senator David Tkachuk, who served as the deputy chair of a Senate committee in 2008 that concluded the federal government had mismanaged and underfunded Canada’s emergency response system. ''First of all, I think it's nonsense,' said Tkachuk. 'These aren't the sort of products that spoil, but secondly, it was the fact that they weren't replaced and then they closed three of the warehouses'.... Tkachuk also noted that the responsibility for this waste of resources should be on the prime minister.... 'He never made an inquiry. He didn't do anything. He just ran away from it, didn't answer any questions and knew that CBC and CTV, nobody would really follow it up and make sure he was held accountable'....
"When the CTF approached PHAC for comment on this story, the agency defended the actions it had taken, saying there had been no need for PPE in its Regina warehouse at the time of disposal. The cost to toss the masks rang in at $4791, and PHAC said the closure of the warehouse saved $147,000 annually. As for whether or not the masks could have been used, the agency did not want to speculate."
Read more: https://www.taxpayer.com/newsroom/federal-government-trashed-millions-worth-of-ppe-before-covid-struck
Depleted national stockpile leaves Canada reliant on China for masks, gowns and other supplies during pandemic | CBC News - Geoff Leo:
May 06, 2020 - "More than two months into the coronavirus pandemic, federal and provincial governments are using extraordinary measures to supply health-care workers with personal protective equipment, including letting them use expired masks. And with more than 61,000 cases of COVID-19 coast to coast, and the country reaching the milestone of more than 4,000 deaths on Tuesday, supplies are just trickling in from overseas suppliers....
"As of April 30, Health Canada had ordered 1.8 billion units of PPE, from masks to gloves to gowns. Of the 36 devices approved so far under the order, 34 are manufacturers in China, including Wuhan Orient Honest International Trade Co., Shandong Zhushi Pharmaceutical Group Co., and Peek-a-Boo! I A See U!.... Much of the global supply of PPE comes from China.... Last month, China's own government revealed it had seized 89 million pieces of poor-quality product. Canada has also received at least one million masks from China that don't meet its standards since the pandemic began....
"The president of the Canadian Medical Association, Dr. Sandy Buchman, says ... this highlights a failure of government planning. 'If we had planned properly and monitored these provincial and federal supplies of the equipment, we wouldn't be scrambling,' he said. 'We would be stockpiled and ready to go'.... Wesley Wark, a national security expert from the University of Ottawa who's studied Canada's national stockpile, said the pandemic has exposed a gaping hole in Canada's supply chain that urgently needs to be filled. 'The NESS concept has failed Canada in this current crisis.... We find ourselves in a position where China is our only hope,' he said."
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/ppe-import-china-shortage-1.5552426
No dismissals at Public Health Agency after PPE stockpile screwup | Rebel News - Sheila Gunn Reid:
February 11, 2022 - "[A] shocking admission was made during a House of Commons public accounts committee meeting on Thursday afternoon during an exchange between Ontario Conservative MP Philip Lawrence and Dr. Harpreet Kochhar, president of the Public Health Agency of Canada [PHAC]....
"[PHAC], tasked with the responsibility [of] pandemic preparedness, emptied several strategic stockpiles, allowed others to expire and closed warehouses to save money — though PHAC's own internal reports from 2011 warned managers to maintain a four month supply of masks, gloves and gowns. Tossed in the landfill were 8,839,942 masks, gowns and other PPE the year before the outbreak of COVID. PHAC had an annual budget at the time of more than $600 million.
"Blacklock's Reporter published a brief transcript of a portion of the committee meeting Friday morning:
Lawrence: “I asked a fairly direct question and I’d like a response. Was anyone held accountable? Was there anyone whose employment was terminated as a result of these significant lapses in your department? Was there anyone who faced any discipline at all?”
Kochhar: “This is a cumulative responsibility within the Public Health Agency – ”
Lawrence: “So to be clear no one has been held to account even though there were significant lapses that put our front line workers at risk?”
Kochar: “I reiterate the point that we are working very closely with our partners –”
Lawrence: “I’ll take that as absolutely no one in your department was held accountable for putting our front line workers at risk...."
"One manager at PHAC tasked with PPE warehouse mismanagement retired in 2020. Two previous PHAC presidents were given other public service jobs without seeing a pay cut."
Read more: https://www.rebelnews.com/no_dismissals_at_public_health_agency_after_ppe_stockpile_screwup
