For decades, Canadian federal animal health laboratories hosted an annual conference in Ottawa, Ontario, and all provincial and university veterinary diagnostic laboratories were invited. Unfortunately, due to budget cuts, this meeting had to be discontinued in 1995.
This year, there is to be a new meeting, whose main drive is to regain the benefits of linkages between the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), the provincial laboratories, and the veterinary schools. The host is the Canadian Animal Health Laboratorians Network (CAHLN), and their first annual meeting is to be held on June 4–6, 2002, at the Animal Diseases Research Institute in Nepean, Ontario. Those doing and/or managing laboratory work in relation to animal health in disciplines such as, but not limited to, bacteriology, virology, immunology, pathology, molecular biology, and toxicology are encouraged to attend.
The keynote speakers at the June meeting include Dr. Elroy Mann (Canadian integrated public health surveillance — Benefits of linking human health, animal health, and food safety surveillance), Dr. Brian Evans (Emergency preparedness), and Dr. Gary Wobeser (New and emerging diseases — The wildlife interface).
For more information about this meeting, please contact Dr. Shane Renwick by facsimile at (613) 228-6656 or by e-mail at renwicks@inspection.gc.ca.