Mayor calls on province to step in as Sudbury lab to close in the spring

Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre urges Ontario to intervene in LifeLabs' plan to close its local lab this spring.

Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre is calling on the Ontario government to intervene after a company that conducts medical tests announced it’s closing its Sudbury facility.

LifeLabs is closing the Greater Sudbury laboratory this spring, eliminating 40 lab tech jobs. Medical samples will also have to be shipped to southern Ontario to be tested.

In a letter to the province, Lefebvre said the shift from the Sudbury lab to Toronto will create unnecessary risks and cause delays for patients in northern Ontario.

“It’s completely unfair,” the mayor told CTV News Northern Ontario.

“We should be able to at least get that level of service that they get in the GTA ... I understand it’s a massive province and I get the distance issues, but this is a great population of over 190,000 people. We’re actually serving a lot of people in the northeast, as well.”

LifeLabs laboratory in Sudbury processes diagnostic samples from communities across northern Ontario, including Sault Ste. Marie, North Bay and others.

Lefebvre said someone needs to fight to maintain health services in northern Ontario.

“I know I’m not the only one advocating for that, but it’s key that we all join our voices to the ministry to see how they can intervene,” he said.

The goal is to ensure that lab tests are conducted in a “timely way for us in the north. And with this new … system that they’re looking at doing, basically that would just delay it even further.”

In a statement, LifeLabs said it is “committed to exceptional quality in every element of our business and upholds our trusted quality and excellent customer service in all that we do.”

Closing the Sudbury lab will allow the company to concentrate on “locations that accommodate the high testing volumes and a broader range of tests, ensuring we can continue to support the growing testing needs and volume demands we are experiencing across Ontario,” the statement said.

“As part of this change, testing performed at our Sudbury laboratory will be gradually transitioned to the Toronto and Mississauga laboratories, which are equipped to manage higher volumes while maintaining quality and service standards.”

‘New logistics routes’

While samples will be sent south, the company will introduce “new logistics routes to ensure timely and reliable specimen transportation, as well as continued high-quality service throughout the province.”

“There will be no impact to patient access or to LifeLabs’ Patient Service Centre in the area as a result of this change. Test turnaround times and patient care will continue to meet LifeLabs’ high standards and Ministry of Health requirements.”

“LifeLabs is committed to supporting our employees with care, respect, and transparency as this change progresses,” the statement added.

“At the same time, we remain focused on patient care, delivering reliable and timely results while setting the standard for excellence in service and quality for patients, healthcare providers, and the communities we serve.”