Official site visit to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) laboratory facilities in Ottawa, Canada

Representatives from The Bahamas Agricultural Health and Food Safety Authority (BAHFSA) embarked on a 5-day official site visit to several The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) laboratory facilities in Ottawa, Canada between September 18-22, 2023. Leading the delegation is BAHFSA Chairman Dr. Patricia Symonette and BAHFSA Executive Director Monique Pindling. They were accompanied by Ms. Yasmin Johnson (Director of Plant Protection), Dr. Ezra Bartholomew (Plant Inspection Coordinator), Dr. Patricia Johnson (Director of Food Safety and Quality), Mr. Christopher Worrell (Director of Technology, Advancement, and Development), Ms. Renee Mayers (Board Secretary), Ms. Rachael Williams (Senior Microbiologist), and Lorrinda Hepburn (Microbiologist). The purpose of the trip was to visit state of the art laboratories for Animal Health, Plant Health, and Food Safety in order to improve diagnostic capacity in The Bahamas. The delegation visited the Fallowfield and Carling laboratories as well as CFIA headquarters in Ottawa.

Left to right Dr. Ezra Bartholomew (Plant Inspection Coordinator), Mrs. Monique Pindling-Johnson (Executive Director), Lorrinda Hepburn (Microbiologist), Ms. Rachael Williams (Senior Microbiologist), Ms. Yasmin Johnson (Director of Plant Protection), Dr. Patricia Symonette (Chairman), Dr. Patricia Johnson (Director of Food Safety and Quality), Ms. Renee Mayers (Board Secretary) and Mr. Christopher Worrell (Director of Technology, Advancement, and Development)

The successful trip allowed for informative dialogue with experts in the field of Sanitary and Phytosanitary diagnostic services and even exposed the team to the latest technologies in the field of Agricultural Health and Food Safety

From left to right Dr. Patricia Symonette (Chairman), Marie-Pierre Mignault (Deputy Director for Canadian Food Inspection Agency), Chelsea Qu (CFIA Senior Policy Analyst, Technical Cooperation), Mrs. Monique Pindling (Executive Director)
From left to right Dr. Patricia Symonette (Chairman) and Megan Kinahan (Acting Section Head - Food Chemistry & Feed Microscopy and Bioanalysis)
From left to right Mrs. Monique Pindling-Johnson (Executive Director), Thomas Niederberger (Director, Ottawa Laboratory (Fallowfield)), Chelsea Qu (CFIA Senior Policy Analyst, Technical Cooperation), Dr. Patricia Symonette (Chairman), Marie-Pierre Mignault (Deputy Director for Canadian Food Inspection Agency)

The delegation was also afforded the opportunity to pay a courtesy call to The Bahamas High Commission in Ottawa, Canada. They were welcomed by High Commissioner Vergeneas Alfred Gray (V. Alfred Gray) and Dexter Johnson (Ambassador to The Federative Republic of Brazil). It was a highly informative and productive meeting were plans for furthering opportunities to collaborate with Canadian partners were discussed.

Left to right Ms. Rachael Williams (Senior Microbiologist), Lorrinda Hepburn (Microbiologist), Dr. Ezra Bartholomew (Plant Inspection Coordinator), Mrs. Monique Pindling-Johnson (Executive Director), Ms. Renee Mayers (Board Secretary), High Commissioner Vergeneas Alfred Gray (V. Alfred Gray), Dexter Johnson (Ambassador to The Federative Republic of Brazil), Dr. Patricia Symonette (Chairman), Dr. Patricia Johnson (Director of Food Safety and Quality), Ms. Yasmin Johnson (Director of Plant Protection), and Mr. Christopher Worrell (Director of Technology, Advancement, and Development);

Having been equipped with the latest in modern diagnostic BAHFSA hopes to further embrace collaborative relationships with CFIA as they seek to improve their diagnostic capacity in the coming year. Bahamian can look forward to greater protections from diseases and foodborne pathogens that threaten Public Health as BAHFSA employs modern techniques in defending Animal Health, Plant Health, and Food Safety. Stay tuned for more updates on diagnostic services that will be made available to the public as a result of this trip.