Province to supply additional Ontario-made masks
Maryam Farag
Health & Safety Industry Government Manufacturing Canada COVID-19 Economy government manufacturer manufacturing masks surgical masks
The province recently signed contracts with Viva Healthcare Packaging and Canada Masq to supply 500 million made-in-Ontario level one and level two surgical/protective masks over the next five years.
The two companies are producing approximately 50 million masks per year over the next five years:
- Viva Healthcare Packaging Canada, operating in Scarborough, used a grant from the Ontario Together Fund to retool their operations to increase their mask-making capacity. It led to the creation of 115 new jobs in the local community.
- Canada Masq, based in Richmond Hill, answered the government’s call in the early days of the pandemic for entrepreneurs to create locally-made masks. Early planning of their business started in April 2020, and mass production of masks began in December, adding 58 full-time jobs for the community.
“Ontario manufacturers have a central role to play in our self-sufficiency as a province, not only as we continue to fight COVID-19, but over the years that follow,” said Ross Romano, Minister, Government and Consumer Services. “By bringing more Ontario suppliers on board and centralizing procurement, we will ensure healthcare workers always have a steady supply of PPE and that we will never need to rely on another jurisdiction again to keep Ontarians safe.”
The government’s contracts with Viva Healthcare and Canada Masq are in addition to those previously announced with 3M Canada and PRIMED.
