Four Ottawa-area organizations have partnered to continue wastewater surveillance in the nation’s capital after the province ceased surveillance programs across Ontario on July 31.
The University of Ottawa’s Delatolla Research Group, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), CHEO Research Institute and Ottawa Public Health have teamed up to support the continuation of wastewater monitoring of COVID-19, influenza, RSV and mpox in Ottawa until September 2025.
“Our research group is truly grateful for the overwhelming support we’ve received from the community over the past few months through emails, letters, and phone calls advocating for the continuation of our wastewater monitoring system,” announced Dr. Robert Delatolla, applied public health chair for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, in a statement. “We’ve gained invaluable insights into how this information is essential for community members facing health challenges, and we are thrilled to continue providing this vital service.”
The provincial program was wound down to avoid duplication with federal wastewater testing, Ontario officials announced during the summer. But the move didn’t sit well with researchers who said there would be a significant drop in the number of sampling locations. Delatolla, who is also a civil engineering professor at the University of Ottawa, noted that the number of wastewater surveillance sites in Ontario alone are comparable to the number of sites that the Public Health Agency of Canada has across the entire country.
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Ottawa’s wastewater monitoring project, which is recognized globally, was the first in Canada to detect in wastewater the virus causing COVID-19.
“Wastewater surveillance has been a game-changer,” announced Dr. Jason Berman, CEO and scientific director at the CHEO Research Institute. “This innovation sparked a movement around the world that empowered communities to be proactive in their response to crises in health care. I’m happy to see our partnership continue this important work in Ottawa over the coming years.”
The Ontario monitoring program cost $15 million in 2023-24 and was budgeted for $10.8 million in 2024-25. It started in 2020 as a research project to better understand the levels of SARS-CoV-2 in the community.
