LabStats is OCWA's upgraded inter-lab program, designed to comply with Proficiency Testing requirements under ISO 17043:2023, for evaluation of respiratory viruses in wastewater matrices.
December 2020
Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation, and Parks (MECP) retains Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) to develop and implement an ongoing inter-lab program to support its Wastewater Surveillance Initiative (WSI)
April - August 2021
OCWA develops technical guidance (Protocol for Evaluation of RT-qPCR Performance Characteristics) to align
performance criteria for WSI laboratories
January 2022
OCWA's validated sample splitting method published in ASCE's Journal of Environmental Engineering;
Protocol updates released
August 2022
OCWA contributes to Royal Society of Canada's Policy Briefing "Wastewater Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 in Canada"
Summer 2020
Canadian Water Network (CWN) leads the first inter-lab study for COVID-19 wastewater surveillance in Canada
January - February 2021
First samples collected and distributed to inter-lab participants
November 2021
Omicron pandemic wave overwhelms COVID-19 clinical testing capacity in Ontario and many jurisdictions worldwide
July 2022
Inter-lab services expanded to serve Canadian wastewater surveillance laboratories with the support of Public Health Agency of Canada National Microbiology Laboratory (PHAC-NML), interlabs.ca was born
March 2024
OCWA applies to Standards Council of Canada (SCC) for accreditation as an ISO 17043:2023 certified Proficiency Testing Provider, labstats.ca was born