Treaty 1 Territory, Winnipeg, MB - Manitoba Liberals say the PCs need to account for $1.2-million in hand sanitizer purchased by the Provincial Government in April that has since been recalled by Health Canada.
On April 20, 2020, the Manitoba Government bought $1,206,000 worth of the emergency supplies from 204 Spirits Inc. In early August, Health Canada announced a recall of hand sanitizer made by 204 Spirits Inc.
The company was making hand sanitizer using "technical-grade" ethanol, which is a lower grade of ethanol. During the April pandemic, using the lower grade came with conditions - that companies had to source it from a list of authorized ethanol manufacturers, and special risk warning labels had to be attached.
204 Spirits Inc. did not show that they sourced the technical-grade ethanol from an authorized manufacturer. Further, they failed to apply mandatory warning labels. Those warnings include making it clear that ingredients contain "technical-grade ethanol," that the product is for "adults only," and that warnings must include, "do not use on broken or damaged skin," "do not use if you are pregnant or breastfeeding" and "do not inhale."
Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont says the Pallister PCs decision to buy $1.2-million worth of hand sanitizer that is not safe for use raises many questions.
"The PCs approach to this pandemic has been incredibly reactive and this shows that cutting corners costs more in the long run," says Lamont. "Was this product used? Has it been tracked down and pulled from shelves? What is the government going to do with over a million dollars worth of hand sanitizer?"
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BACKGROUND:
Health Canada Recall
ATTACHED:
Screengrab from Manitoba Government Contracting Website https://web32.gov.mb.ca/DisclosureOfContracts/en/Contracts/GetContract/BA08/1e885f3a-9ba5-ea11-b0b9-005056b11f1a