Independent public health web archive
See what Canadian public health websites used to say, even after they change.
HealthArchive.ca is a volunteer-led project preserving snapshots of key Canadian public health websites, so clinicians, researchers, journalists, and the public can see what was published at specific points in time—even if pages move, are updated, or disappear.
Early development Search and archive views are currently powered by a small demo dataset while the full infrastructure is being built.
Project snapshot
Prototype archive for selected federal public health pages.
- Sample records
- 10
- Federal sources
- 2
- Focus
- COVID-19, influenza, HIV, climate, food safety, water quality, and more.
- Intended users
- Clinicians, public health practitioners, researchers, and data- curious members of the public.
Who is this for?
The archive aims to support a range of people who rely on public health information being stable and discoverable over time.
Clinicians & public health practitioners
Revisit past guidance on topics such as COVID-19 vaccination, seasonal influenza, naloxone distribution, or mpox to understand how recommendations have evolved.
Researchers & data journalists
Link analyses and publications to the exact wording, tables, and dashboards that were visible on a given date, improving reproducibility and auditability.
Members of the public
Explore how key public health messages and risk communication have changed across time while keeping official sites as the primary source of up-to-date guidance.
What is HealthArchive.ca?
HealthArchive.ca is an independent, non-governmental archive of Canadian public health information. It uses modern web-archiving tools to capture, store, and replay snapshots of key public health websites, starting with federal sources such as the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada.
Government websites are living documents: pages move, content changes, and dashboards appear and disappear. The goal is to provide transparent, verifiable access to previously public health information—not to replace official guidance or offer medical advice.
What this demo is (and isn't)
- Is: a small, hand-curated demo showing how the future archive explorer and snapshot viewer will behave.
- Is not: a complete or authoritative copy of any public health site. Coverage is intentionally small and will be documented transparently as the project grows.
- For current guidance, always refer to the relevant official websites (e.g., canada.ca/public-health).