# Federal Reserve Overflows with Expired PPE

> Canada's federal medical stockpile contains 75% expired PPE by 2027, report finds.
- Title: Federal Reserve Overflows with Expired PPE · National Post
- Summary: Canada's federal medical stockpile contains 75% expired PPE by 2027, report finds.
- Keywords: public health agency of canada, federal reserve, expired ppe, pandemic supplies, phac, auditor general, medical stockpile, pandemic response, National Post
- Source: National Post — https://nationalpost.com/news/federal-reserve-overflowing-with-expired-ppe-from-pandemic-ag-report-finds
- Author: Catherine Lévesque
- Published: 2026-10-29T14:33:28+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: public health agency of canada, federal reserve, expired ppe, pandemic supplies, phac, auditor general, medical stockpile, pandemic response, news, politics
## PHAC Stockpile Overflow
PHAC has accumulated excess medical inventory since the pandemic, now overflowing with expired PPE.
## Auditor General Report
Office of the Auditor General found PHAC did not manage the National Emergency Strategic Stockpile effectively.
## PPE Expiry Timeline
75% of PPE inventory (1.044 billion items) will expire by March 31, 2027.
## Distribution and Write-offs
PHAC distributed $27m worth of supplies but wrote off $331m due to expiry and damage.
## Auditor's Advice
PHAC must create a divestment plan to reduce expired supplies and cut storage costs.
## Pharmaceutical Loss
PHAC lost $20.4m in pharmaceuticals due to freezer temperature issues.
## Freezer Incident Details
Freezers overfilled in January 2025, causing temperature rise and pharmaceutical spoilage.
## Previous Audits
PHAC implemented five of 14 actions from 2024 stockpile management plan.
## Health Minister Response
Health Minister says government is overprepared but admits room for improvement.
## Key takeaway

PHAC's federal medical stockpile will expire by March 2027, costing taxpayers $6.3m in storage fees.