Province's investment to help create jobs
Ontario is providing support to a $165-million investment in the province that would create a new 140,000-square-foot personal protective equipment (PPE) production facility.
Medicom Group’s million to construct the facility in London will ensure that Ontario maintains a robust stockpile of PPE to safeguard health care, hospital and frontline workers across the province.
The investment will create 135 new jobs in the region.
“During the last pandemic, we experienced the difficulties that arose from needing to have critical supplies imported from overseas when we needed them most,” said Vic Fedeli, minister of economic development, job creation and trade. “The lessons we learned emphasized the importance of building a strong, resilient and self-reliant manufacturing supply chain. This investment will help enhance public safety and pandemic preparedness while creating new, good-paying jobs for workers in the London area.”
Since Oct. 18 this year, all health care staff working in Manitoba hospitals, personal care homes and other health care facilities have been required once more to wear a medical mask during direct interactions with patients, residents and clients. Staff providing care services operated by regional health authorities, including services in the community such as home care, are also required to wear masks when providing care.
To support the investment, Ontario is also setting aside $30 million to help build the facility and ensure millions of medical-grade nitrile gloves are available for use by Ontarians. This undertaking will help generate hundreds of indirect jobs while further strengthening Ontario’s PPE supply chains and preparedness against future challenges, according to the provincial government.
“Today, we're taking a major step towards producing our own gloves, right here in Canada. Green, ethical, innovative gloves. Canadian gloves,” said Guillaume Laverdure, CEO, Medicom. “Our governments were there to support people during the last pandemic, and now they're showing that they're getting ready for the next one. Medicom is proud of this partnership, and we will deliver in the name of protection."
Recently, Ottawa announced that Dow is investing $11.5 billion to build the world's first net-zero emissions ethylene cracker and derivatives site in Fort Saskatchewan in Alberta. The investment will create up to 8,000 construction jobs.
Supply Ontario has secured 500 million medical grade nitrile gloves for Ontario per year to meet provincial healthcare system standards and ensure security of supply, according to the Ontario government.
"Supply Ontario is pleased to work with the federal and provincial governments to support this great partnership with Medicom,” said James Wallace, CEO, Supply Ontario. “Producing materials locally supports businesses across the province and also builds resiliency in our supply chain. As we look to the future, we are supporting ways to ensure Ontarians have what they need when they need it."