PROVINCIAL LAB TURNS 100

The Provincial Laboratory is celebrating 100 years of service to Saskatchewan residents.

In January, 1905, Dr. George A. Charlton, a medical pathologist from McGill University, was appointed Director of the first laboratory for the government of the Northwest Territories. Later that same year the laboratory was transferred to the newly established province of Saskatchewan.

"From its earliest beginnings, the Provincial Laboratory has been ensuring safe and healthy communities throughout Saskatchewan," Health Minister John Nilson said. "From routine testing of water supplies to disease outbreak identification and control, the lab has always provided a vital service to our citizens."

When it first opened its doors in 1905, the Provincial Laboratory was housed in a wing of the Legislative Building on Dewdney Avenue in Regina. It had a staff of two: Dr. Charlton and a part-time assistant who washed glassware and packaged mailing containers. In 1911, the lab was moved to the new Legislative Building on Legislative Drive. From 1948 to 1958, it occupied space in the Grey Nuns Hospital (now the Pasqua Hospital), until it moved to its present location on the legislative grounds in Wascana Park. The Lab currently employs approximately 160 staff, and offers services in microbiology, chemistry, environmental sciences and other lab support.

A new provincial lab building, proposed for Regina's Research Park, will be completed in 2008.

"During our Saskatchewan centennial we are celebrating milestones in our history," Nilson said. "The provincial lab is a significant one. For one hundred years the lab has been ensuring and protecting our health in Saskatchewan. With the new facility, the lab will be able to provide that same high level of expertise and dedication for at least one hundred more."

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For More Information, Contact:

Jocelyn Argue Health Regina Phone: (306) 787-4083