Public Health Bureau

The Public Health Bureau is comprised of two programs that are responsible for protecting the health of people travelling within Canada and for ensuring safe drinking water for federal employees.

The Travelling Public Program, through a network of Environmental Health Officers across Canada, works to reduce public health risks to the travelling public by:

• Carrying out public health inspections to ensure safe food, potable water and sanitary conditions on passenger conveyances and their ancillary services (e.g. ferries, cruise ships and trains);
• Monitoring and responding to gastrointestinal disease outbreaks on passenger conveyances; and
• Providing general sanitation advice and consultation to operators of passenger conveyances and their ancillary services.

The Public Health Bureau also issues Ship Sanitation Certificates to international vessels in order to prevent the introduction of communication diseases into Canada.

The Bureau publishes inspection guidelines and administrative procedures for all of its inspection programs.