2026-08-12 from cbc.ca
Experts say Canada’s plan to build a $267-million medical countermeasures laboratory in Winnipeg is a vital step toward heading off future pandemics, but they warn the facility faces steep hurdles around long-term funding, staffing and governance.
The federal government announced a $10.2-million design contract for the facility last week, with the finished building slated to open in 2033 next to Winnipeg’s National Microbiology Laboratory (NML).
While the lab aims to bridge a critical gap in testing early-stage vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostic tools, health researchers caution that a brand-new building will accomplish little without sustained, decades-long investments in human talent.
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