Service standards for sending out an acknowledgement letter for receipt of a Human Pathogen and Toxins Act Security Clearance application and the issuance of a Security Clearance

Service standard:

The Public Health Agency of Canada (the Agency) commits to a service delivery standard of 5 business days for the issuance of an acknowledgement letter of receipt of a HPTA security clearance application.

The Agency commits to a service delivery standard of 80 business days for the issuance of a HPTA security clearance upon receipt of a complete application that contains no adverse information. Processing times of a HPTA security clearance may be longer for incomplete applications or applications that contain adverse information.

Performance target:

The performance target for issuance of an acknowledgement letter for receipt of a security clearance application within 5 business days is 80%

The performance target for issuance of a HPTA Security Clearance upon receipt of a complete application with no adverse information within 80 business days is 80%.

Performance results:

Annual service performance is measured over the course of the fiscal year (April 1 - March 31).

For Fiscal Year 2021-2022:

• 100% of acknowledgement letters for receipt of security clearance were issued within the established service standard;
• 85.1% of HPTA Security Clearances issued upon receipt of a complete application with no adverse information were issued within the established service standard (80 business days).

Applying for a HPTA Security Clearance:

An individual that requires a HPTA security clearance should follow the instructions outlined on the Agency's Biosecurity webpage.

Fee/cost recovery

There is no fee associated with the issuance of an acknowledgement letter or security clearance.

Please contact the Centre for Biosecurity to make any general inquiries or comments:

Centre for Biosecurity, Public Health Agency of Canada
100 Colonnade Road, AL: 6201D
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9
Facsimile: 613-941-0596
Email: pathogens.pathogenes@phac-aspc.gc.ca

Service feedback:

The Agency is committed to excellence in its processes and practices, and strives to continually improve its interactions with regulated parties. The Agency has therefore established a multi-step approach to efficiently receive, track, analyze, and respond to address issues in the following sequence:

1. Receipt of a formal request or feedback in writing to Centre for Biosecurity (the Centre) by facsimile at 613-941-0596 or by email at pathogens.pathogenes@phac-aspc.gc.ca.
2. Creation of file. An Agency representative assigns a file number to the request and establishes an anticipated resolution date.
3. Information gathering. After the file is reviewed, the Agency representative may request follow-up information from the correspondent via email or telephone.
4. Action redress. Following established processes, the Agency representative carries out all necessary steps to achieve a decision on the redress request.
5. Final resolution. The Agency representative informs the correspondent of the organization's final decision regarding the redress request.

Please contact the Centre for Biosecurity for any questions or to report any issues:

Centre for Biosecurity, Public Health Agency of Canada
100 Colonnade Road, AL: 6201D
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9
Facsimile: 613-941-0596
Email: pathogens.pathogenes@phac-aspc.gc.ca

For more information

• Government-Wide Forward Regulatory Plans
• The The Cabinet Directive on Regulation
• The Policy on Regulatory Transparency and Accountability

To learn about upcoming or ongoing consultations on proposed federal regulations, visit the Canada Gazette and Consulting with Canadians websites.