The Public Health Agency of Canada disclosed that a 2024 flood caused extensive damage to medical equipment stored at its National Emergency Strategic Stockpile, resulting in losses of $9.76 million.
The memo, dated February 10, reported water damage to infusion pumps undergoing preventive maintenance and to testing devices such as a test lung and air regulators used for biomedical equipment verification.
A separate incident earlier in the year involved an open freezer door that spoiled more than $20 million worth of specialty drugs, prompting an auditor‑general investigation.
The strategic stockpile serves as the sole national source of specialized drugs and biological products needed for preparedness against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats, assets that are rarely used in routine health‑care settings.
The agency operates eleven warehouses across Canada; the memo did not specify whether the flood and freezer incidents occurred at the same facility.
Recent reports highlighted that the agency had previously written off $170 million in expired medical goods destined for landfill, raising parliamentary questions about accountability for such mismanagement.
In response to inquiries about expired personal protective equipment, the agency estimated that items procured between 2020 and 2022 represent a cost of approximately $150.7 million, excluding an additional $20 million allocated for storage of items marked for disposal.
During the COVID‑19 pandemic, the agency purchased over four billion units of medical countermeasures to support provincial and territorial needs, deploying more than two billion units and continuing to divest surplus assets.
Earlier audits criticized the agency for mismanagement that contributed to shortages of medical supplies at the onset of the 2020 pandemic, underscoring ongoing concerns about stockpile oversight.
