Ontario Halts Wastewater Testing for COVID and Other Viruses: ‘Incredibly Disappointing

Ontario will officially end its COVID-19 wastewater surveillance program on Wednesday, a move some public health experts deem shortsighted.

Dr. Fahad Razak, former scientific director of the COVID-19 Ontario Science Table, described the decision as “incredibly disappointing.” Wastewater testing provides an early warning for rising cases of COVID-19 and other viruses, Razak explained in an interview.

The program, which monitored wastewater in dozens of communities across Ontario, was not only valuable for detecting COVID-19 but also for identifying potential threats such as the H5N1 avian flu, he added.

Ontario’s environment ministry announced in an email on Tuesday that it was “winding down” the program as the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) expands its wastewater surveillance sites in the province. However, a PHAC spokesperson stated that it only plans to test in four Ontario cities, along with its existing four sites in Toronto, which will not duplicate the provincial program.

Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles echoed the concerns of public health experts, stating that her party has “repeatedly” urged Premier Doug Ford’s government to reverse the decision.

“We all went through a tough time facing COVID-19 and dealing with the impacts of a pandemic and a lockdown. Reliable wastewater testing is one of the tools we have at our disposal to monitor and prepare for future public health emergencies — why would we take that away?” Stiles said in a statement Wednesday..

“Has Ford learned nothing from the past few years? This program needs to be expanded, not ended.”