Infection Prevention and Control Canada

What Infection Prevention and Control Canada does

Infection Prevention and Control Canada (IPAC Canada) is a Canadian not-for-profit professional association incorporated under the Canadian Corporation Act in 1976 (originally as CHICA Canada, rebranded to IPAC Canada in January 2016) and headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Its mission is to advance infection prevention and control by advocating for members and providing access to evidence-based resources, education, and networking opportunities. IPAC Canada serves more than 2,000 individual members globally — predominantly Infection Prevention and Control Professionals (ICPs) drawn from nursing, medicine, microbiology, medical technology, and epidemiology disciplines — alongside corporate partners and institutional healthcare stakeholders such as hospitals and long-term care facilities. The organization is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors with a small (1–10 employee) administrative staff led by an Executive Director (Gerry Hansen), and is structured into 17 chapters covering all Canadian provinces and 12+ special-topic interest groups.

IPAC Canada's product surface consists of membership services, education programs, audit tools, and an academic publication. Core offerings include the Long Term Care IPAC Certificate Course (hybrid online plus in-person Toronto format, tuition $2,499 CDN), the Essentials in IPAC courses (regular and accelerated), the annual National Education Conference, and bilingual (English/French) e-learning modules on hand hygiene and routine practices. Audit and compliance products include the legacy IPAC Program Audit Tool (PAT©) workbook and the HandyMetrics-built QIP Audit App, distributed free to members of qualifying Canadian healthcare organizations. The Canadian Journal of Infection Control (CJIC) provides peer-reviewed academic publishing, and a mentorship program, IPAC CHAT discussion board, and National Infection Control Week campaign round out member engagement. Technology is limited to ConfManager membership portal, an LMS, e-commerce merchandise (GotAces), and standard social channels — no AI, API, or proprietary ML capabilities are disclosed.

The revenue model blends subscription recurring annual membership dues (individual and corporate tiers, with free international access for UN-defined LDC registrants), professional services revenue from the LTC certificate course and conference registrations/sponsorships, advertising on the website, and unrestricted grants from corporate partners for specific projects. Distribution is primarily via self-serve online enrollment, the annual in-person conference, chapter-based events across Canada, and the online LMS. IPAC Canada holds no venture or private equity backing, is not publicly traded, and operates as a registered Canadian charity.

Name

Infection Prevention and Control Canada

Legal name

IPAC Canada

Website

https://ipac-canada.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Infection Prevention and Control Canada (IPAC Canada) is a Canadian not-for-profit professional association serving over 2,000 infection prevention and control professionals through 17 regional chapters, certification support, educational courses, audit tools, and an annual national conference.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Winnipeg

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Annual Membership Revenues: IPAC Canada generates revenue through annual membership fees from individual and corporate members. Membership categories and fees are published on the website, with specific fee categories for individual practitioners and organizations.
2. Conference Revenues: Revenue generated from the annual National Education Conference, including registration fees, exhibitor fees, and sponsor fees. The annual conference is described as the premier infection prevention and control educational event in Canada.
3. Commercial Advertising: IPAC Canada generates revenue from commercial advertising on its website. The organization explicitly states it does not endorse or recommend the products or services of any commercial entity that advertises on the IPAC Canada website.
4. Unrestricted Grants for Specific Projects: IPAC Canada receives unrestricted grants designated for specific projects from corporate partners and other organizations.
5. Course Tuition Fees: Revenue from tuition fees for educational courses including the Long Term Care Infection Prevention and Control Certificate Course. The LTC certificate course is priced at $2,499 CDN (tax exempt).

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Infection Prevention and Control Canada (IPAC Canada) is a multidisciplinary professional association that supports infection prevention and control (IPAC) professionals through membership services, evidence-based resources, education programs, professional certification support, and networking opportunities. The organization delivers certified training courses, an annual national conference, the IPAC Program Audit Tool (PAT), e-learning modules, webinars, and the Canadian Journal of Infection Control (CJIC) to healthcare professionals across Canada and globally.

Product overview

IPAC Canada is a professional membership-based association offering a comprehensive suite of education, certification, and resource products for infection prevention and control professionals. The core offerings include the Essentials in IPAC Courses (regular and long-term care focused formats), the IPAC Canada Annual Conference as the premier national educational event, and professional certification support. The organization provides technology-enabled audit tools including the IPAC Program Audit Tool (PAT) and the QIP Audit App for workplace compliance assessment. Additional digital products include hand hygiene and routine practices e-learning modules (available in English and French), webinars with archived recordings, and the Canadian Journal of Infection Control as an academic publication. Member engagement is supported through IPAC CHAT discussion board and a Mentorship Program for career development. The organization was formerly known as CHICA Canada and rebranded to IPAC Canada in January 2014.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Long Term Care Infection Prevention and Control Certificate Course A hybrid online and in-person certificate course providing intensive training for IPAC professionals focused on Long Term Care settings. Consists of 6-8 weeks of online learning followed by 2 days of in-person training in Toronto. Tuition fee of $2,499 CDN (tax exempt).
• IPAC Canada Annual Conference The premier infection prevention and control educational event in Canada, featuring exhibitors, sponsors, educational sessions, and the IFIC Fun Run/Walk.
• IPAC Program Audit Tool (PAT©) An internal auditing tool for healthcare organizations to verify that IPAC program standards are being met, used for quality improvement and preparation for external audits including those conducted by Accreditation Canada.
• QIP Audit App A mobile application for assessing infection prevention and control compliance within workplaces, developed in partnership with HandyMetrics. Free to IPAC Canada members affiliated with organizations providing direct patient healthcare in Canada.
• Hand Hygiene E-Learning Tool Online learning module for hand hygiene training and education for infection prevention and control professionals.
• Routine Practices E-Learning Program Accredited bilingual online program for infection prevention and control routine practices training, available in both English and French.
• Canadian Journal of Infection Control (CJIC) A leading international peer-reviewed journal providing knowledge transfer and academic discourse in infection prevention and control and hospital epidemiology.
• Essentials in Infection Prevention and Control Courses Comprehensive courses for infection prevention and control professionals ranging from novice to advanced practitioners, offered in regular and accelerated formats.
• Certification in Infection Control Professional certification program supporting ICPs in obtaining CIC certification through the Certification Board of Infection Control (CBIC), with APIC Text offered at members' rates for exam preparation.
• IPAC Canada Membership Annual individual and corporate memberships providing access to evidence-based resources, professional development, networking across 17 chapters and 12+ interest groups, IPAC CHAT discussion board, mentorship program, advocacy, and alerts. International applicants from UN-defined least developed countries register at no fee.
• IPAC Canada Merchandise Official IPAC Canada branded merchandise and apparel available through the GotAces online storefront.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,000 members served across the globe
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HandyMetricscoreTechnology or IntegrationHandyMetrics and IPAC Canada partnered to transform the IPAC Canada Audit Toolkit into an easy-to-use mobile App. The App is free to IPAC Canada members affiliated with an organization that provides healthcare directly to patients in Canada. This partnership digitizes and scales access to IPAC Canada's audit tools.
• Certification Board of Infection Control (CBIC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPAC Canada supports the CIC (Certified in Infection Control) certification offered by CBIC. An ICP who demonstrates all infection prevention and control competencies and meets eligibility criteria should be currently Certified in Infection Control (CIC, LTC-CIP). IPAC Canada offers certification awards and the APIC Text is recommended for CBIC exam preparation.
• DiverseyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDiversey, a corporate partner and platinum sponsor, provided video sponsorship for IPAC Canada's membership promotional video. Diversey also sponsors scholarships.
• Provincial Infection Control Network of British Columbia (PICNet)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPAC Canada references PICNet's online education modules and ICP Orientation Manual as recommended external educational resources for members, indicating a collaborative relationship between Canadian IPAC organizations.
• Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPAC Canada references the APIC Text as an excellent resource for CBIC examination preparation and offers it to members at a members rate. APIC webinars are also referenced as educational resources. IPAC Canada co-developed the Ethical Infection Prevention and Control Decision-Making Framework with APIC.
• Healthcare Excellence CanadaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare Excellence Canada collaborated with IPAC Canada to present a DEI webinar on First Nations, Inuit and Metis Experiences with Racism in Healthcare.
• IFIC (Infection Prevention and Control)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPAC Canada hosts the IFIC Fun Run/Walk as part of its annual conference, indicating a collaborative relationship with the International Federation of Infection Control.
• Consortium for Mathematics and its Applications (Chedd-Angier)minorOthersThe Against All Odds statistics resource from the Consortium for Mathematics and its Applications (Chedd-Angier) is referenced as an educational resource on the IPAC Canada Education Institute page.
• Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)coreOthersPHAC guidelines are referenced extensively in the Resource Centre under Standards & Guidelines. IPAC Canada participates in government relations activities including Hill Day and pre-budget submissions. Director of Education Natalie Bruce is affiliated with PHAC.
• Accreditation CanadacoreOthersAccreditation Canada requires all accredited hospitals to have systems in place to ensure provision of infection control activities. The IPAC Program Audit Tool (PAT) can be used to prepare for external audits carried out by Accreditation Canada.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• International Federation of Infection Control (IFIC): IFIC is the global federation for infection control organizations, of which IPAC Canada is effectively a national chapter. IPAC Canada already hosts the IFIC Fun Run/Walk at its annual conference, making IFIC a structurally aligned peer at the international layer.
• Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC): APIC is the largest US-based professional association for infection preventionists, offering comparable membership, certification, education, and annual conference products. It is the most directly comparable peer in scope, with IPAC Canada explicitly recommending the APIC Text to its own members.
• Infection Prevention Society (IPS): IPS is the UK equivalent of IPAC Canada—a membership association serving infection prevention practitioners with conferences, education, and standards work. It is the closest international peer in mission and operating model.

Others

• Accreditation Canada: Accreditation Canada is the national healthcare accreditor whose IPAC standards drive demand for IPAC Canada's PAT© audit tool and member training. It is a structural driver of IPAC Canada relevance rather than a competing service provider.
• Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC): PHAC is the federal public health agency whose guidelines IPAC Canada curates and disseminates to members. It is an enabling/standards partner rather than a competitor, but its evolving IPAC guidance drives member demand for IPAC Canada's resources.
• Healthcare Excellence Canada: Healthcare Excellence Canada is a federally funded healthcare quality organization that has co-presented DEI webinars with IPAC Canada. It operates as an adjacent ecosystem player in the Canadian healthcare quality space.
• Certification Board of Infection Control and Epidemiology (CBIC): CBIC administers the CIC and LTC-CIP certifications that IPAC Canada members pursue. It is not a competing association but a critical certification partner—its roadmap and pricing decisions directly affect IPAC Canada's value proposition.

Regional players

• Australasian College for Infection Prevention and Control (ACIPC): ACIPC is the Australia/New Zealand equivalent of IPAC Canada, with a comparable membership, conference, and credentialing model. It does not compete directly geographically but operates a near-identical member-services model in another region.
• Provincial Infection Control Network of British Columbia (PICNet): PICNet is a BC-based infection control network referenced by IPAC Canada as a collaborator on educational resources (ICP Orientation Manual, online modules). It serves a similar practitioner audience but at a single-province level rather than nationally.

Broad incumbents

• Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA): SHEA is a larger, established US-based organization focused on healthcare epidemiology and infection prevention research and guidelines. It overlaps with IPAC Canada's audience but emphasizes physician/researcher leadership over the multidisciplinary practitioner base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IPACCanada
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/IPACCanadaVideos
• Facebookfacebook.com/IPACCanada
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ipac-canada

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Infection Prevention and Control Canada