Ontario Vaccination Support Council Portal: Seeking Volunteers from the Hamilton Business Community

· by c.dambrosio@hamiltonchamber.ca

March 22, 2021 – HAMILTON, ON: The Ontario Vaccination Support Council (OVSC) launched an online portal to connect Ontario’s public health units with private sector organizations offering local support.

The portal will allow for two-way communication between the private sector and public local health units so that organizations can volunteer time or resources to support the province’s vaccination efforts. The portal will also serve as a resource to the general public by providing links to key public health information and resources. 

The OVSC is seeking volunteers from the Hamilton business community to populate the portal. Businesses can offer support including voluntary staff, storage of vaccines, providing PPE, or their workplace as a space to vaccinate the general public and employees. 

Visit the portal at vaccinesupportcouncil.com to list how your business can contribute to the local vaccine efforts. 

Businesses are asked to fill in the portal by March 26, 2021. 

Founded by the OCC, the Council is co-chaired by James Scongack, Executive-Vice President of Corporate Affairs & Operational Services at Bruce Power and Garrick Tiplady, the Managing Director of Facebook Canada. The Council leverages over 250 businesses, universities, colleges, associations, and labour unions from across the province to provide support for Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts with the ultimate goal of ending the pandemic. 

The portal was designed and built by Nuclear Promise X (NPX), a Canadian start-up that integrates the latest emerging technology into nuclear plant operations, projects, and processes. 

To learn more about the OVSC, see Ontario Business Community Launches the COVID-19 Ontario Vaccination Support Council.

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QUOTES:

From the very beginning of lockdown, businesses across our community have stepped up to help in countless, generous ways. As we look to get back to full economic and social activity, this is our next, best opportunity to bring this pandemic to a close by helping alleviate some of the burden placed on our public health system and its heroic professionals.
– Keanin Loomis, President and CEO, Hamilton Chamber of Commerce

We are pleased to launch the Ontario Vaccination Support Council Portal with our partners at Bruce Power and Facebook Canada. The faster the Ontario population is inoculated, the faster we can safely reopen and work together on the province’s economic recovery. Ontario’s business community stands ready to assist in the fight against COVID-19 and help drive our economic recovery in the future.
– Rocco Rossi, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC)

This portal is about recognizing the role of public health in Ontario, and bringing the private sector resources we have to the table in support of vaccination efforts. There are so many businesses who want to help in the province’s vaccination effort and this hub will serve as a resource to bring all of those energy and resources together in one spot.
– James Scongack, Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs & Operational Services of Bruce Power

As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout ramps up across Canada and in Ontario, building trust and confidence in vaccines will be critical for the health of Canadians and economic recovery of our country. Connecting people and businesses with credible sources of information from health authorities is a key part of this work and the cross-industry collaboration enabled through the Ontario Vaccination Support Council is essential to support this process.
– Garrick Tiplady, Managing Director of Facebook Canada

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Ceara Copps-Edwards
Manager, Public Affairs
Ontario Chamber of Commerce
cearacoppsedwards@occ.ca

Marie Nash
Chief Operation Officer
Hamilton Chamber of Commerce
m.nash@hamiltonchamber.ca