The federal government says it is moving forward on a $267 million laboratory in Winnipeg to better prepare for future disease outbreaks.
Winnipeg South MP Terry Duguid said Wednesday that the government has taken the first step of awarding a $10-million contract for architecture and engineering services for the medical countermeasures laboratory.
“This is a big deal,” said Duguid.
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“This is a big deal for our city, for our province, a big deal for life sciences in Canada. And this facility is going to help protect the nation, and help protect the world.”
The government says the lab, slated to be finished in 2033, will expand capacity to develop vaccines, treatments and diagnostic tools.
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It is being built next to the existing National Microbiology Laboratory in the city where scientists helped respond to outbreaks like SARS, H1N1, Ebola and COVID-19, said Duguid.
“Winnipeg’s reputation as a global centre for infectious disease research has been built in large part because of the work done here,” he said.
The design contract has been awarded to Winnipeg-based Architecture49 Inc.