Winnipeg facility that produces cancer-screening material passes inspection after repeated failures [Video]

A provincially run Manitoba facility that creates crucial materials used to detect cancer got a passing grade on its latest Health Canada inspection after failing its two most recent reviews by the regulator over concerns that included mishandling test results, not following proper sterility practices and inadequately training workers.

Earlier this year, CBC News reported the Winnipeg Cyclotron Facility — the sole producer of medical isotopes in Manitoba — was found non-compliant by Health Canada during its last two routine inspections.

The most recent of those failures earlier this year marked the fifth time over roughly the last decade the facility was found non-compliant during an inspection.

The site’s latest inspection from late last month resulted in its first passing grade since 2022, according to Health Canada’s website. 

The isotopes the facility produces are used to create the radioactive material — often called a tracer — that is injected into patients during a positron emission tomography (PET) scan. 

The most common tracer uses a form of radioactive sugar …