Vaughan, Ont.-based Magnotta Winery has partnered with the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation (CanLyme) on a national radio PSA campaign that aims to raise awareness about Lyme disease.

The three PSAs, created in-house by Magnotta, present the bacterial infection as an entirely curable illness that often goes undetected in Canada due to inaccurate testing and insufficient information provided to doctors by the Canadian government.

The disease, which is transmitted through tick bites, can be treated with antibiotics but can cause serious damage to organs and tissues if ignored.

Rossana Magnotta, president and CEO of Magnotta Winery, said her own family’s experience with Lyme disease—her husband originally tested negative for Lyme before being diagnosed with the infection—inspired her to get involved in the cause.

“I have been touched by Lyme disease, and it’s really changed my life,” said Magnotta. “I’m kind of using my company as a vehicle to get the message out.

“My strategy is to build awareness and empower people with knowledge, to give them the tools to protect themselves and their family.”

The three radio spots launched earlier this month—which is Lyme Disease Awareness Month—and Magnotta said they had been picked up by stations across the country. However, she added that she was disappointed by some stations’ reluctance to run the ads, a skittishness she attributed to the fact that the spots can be seen as critical of the Canadian government and medical community.

“They’re publicizing huge numbers in the U.S., and we can’t be that ignorant to suggest that we don’t have a lot of Lyme in Canada,” Magnotta said. “Maybe these commercials will make the government look at it a little more carefully.”

A press release issued by Magnotta Winery quoted statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Statistics Canada, with the former reporting 200,000 new cases of Lyme Disease in 2007 while the latter recorded only 50 in Canada.

In addition to the radio campaign, which runs through Labour Day, Magnotta is hosting wine tasting and golf events this month to raise money for a Lyme Disease research and testing facility. Consumers can also donate at Magnotta retail locations, and a percentage of sales of the winery’s 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Special Reserve VQA will also go to the cause.