May 15, 2026
Publication of the New Glossary for Canadian Biosafety Guidelines and Training
The Public Health Agency of Canada (Agency) is pleased to announce the release of a new glossary tool for Canadian Biosafety Guidelines and training, now available on the PHAC Training Portal. This glossary consolidates biosafety and biosecurity terminology into a single accessible resource.
The glossary is designed to support readers in understanding and applying terminology related to work involving biological materials. By centralizing terminology, the glossary aims to improve consistency across guidelines and other resources.
The glossary is now available as an interactive tool on the PHAC Training Portal, with a direct link also provided on the Canada.ca landing page for Canadian Biosafety Guidelines.
As Canadian Biosafety Guidelines are updated, their individual glossaries will be removed. In the meantime, the Agency recommends using the interactive glossary as it contains the most current version of all definitions.
The glossary is not meant to be used to interpret the Canadian Biosafety Standard, Third Edition or Biosafety Directives, which will retain individual glossaries tailored to their scope. Furthermore, the glossary is not a substitute for the definitions set out in the Human Pathogens and Toxins Act (Act) and Human Pathogens and Toxins Regulations (Regulations); readers are encouraged to consult them directly. In the event of any inconsistency between the glossary and the Act or Regulations, the legislation prevails.
If you have any questions or feedback regarding the new glossary, please contact pathogens.pathogenes@phac-aspc.gc.ca.