Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response (CEPR)

2006 Report of Activities

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Section I
Where we've come from

The Creation of the CEPR — 2000

In July 2000 Health Canada created the Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response (CEPR) to act as the single coordinating point for public health security within Health Canada and among various levels of government across the country.

From the outset, the CEPR was tasked to deal with public health risks associated with a broad range of emergencies, including: natural events and disasters such as floods, earthquakes, fires and highly dangerous infectious diseases; and human-caused disasters such as accidents or criminal and terrorist acts involving explosives, chemicals, radioactive substances or biological threats.

At the same time, the CEPR strengthened its ability to develop federal contingency standards for the delivery of public health care in crisis situations, to act as the Health Canada lead on terrorism issues, to provide advice to federal, provincial and territorial partners on health emergency preparedness and response, and to develop and maintain national emergency response plans for Health Canada.

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