The Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) announced today the establishment of the Ontario Vaccination Support Council, founded by close to 100 businesses, organizations, and the Ontario Chamber Network. The Council will leverage the businesses and organizations involved, representing hundreds of thousands of employees from across the Province, to provide support for Ontario’s historic COVID-19 vaccination effort with the ultimate goal of ending the pandemic.

The Council will be co-chaired by James Scongack, Executive-Vice President of Corporate Affairs & Operational Services at Bruce Power and Garrick Tiplady, the Managing Director of Facebook.

“Today, we are pleased to launch the Ontario Vaccination Support Council with our partners at Bruce Power and Facebook Canada,” said Rocco Rossi, President and CEO of the OCC. “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.”

The Council will bring together a diverse group of OCC members, representing a range of sectors, to share pertinent information and provide government with timely and evidence-based recommendations. The Council will:

• Provide Ontario’s business community with a window into the Ontario Vaccine Distribution Task Force to share public health information; updates on logistics and distribution plans and seek input on non-health-related issues.
• Consolidate a directory of capabilities and services within the Chamber Network that could be utilized and procured by government, hospitals and public health in the distribution of vaccinations.
• Share policies, best practices and approaches with government to ensure the maximum participation of employers and their employees in vaccination efforts with a specific focus on being proactive and removing barriers.

“Now more than ever we need an ‘all hands-on deck’ approach to engage and support Ontario’s historic vaccination program with the ultimate goal of ending the pandemic. While there will be challenges ahead in such a large and critical effort, the Council will bring together Ontario’s business community, leveraging their agility, capability, innovation, and engagement to ensure we face this challenge together as Ontarians,” said James Scongack, Executive Vice-President, Corporate Affairs and Operational Services at Bruce Power.

Founding members of the Council include representatives from the following companies:

Abbott
ACS (Alcohol Countermeasure Systems)
Aboriginal Business Professional Association
Altria International
Americas Operating Plant Services
Arterra Wines Canada
AstraZeneca
Barrie Chamber of Commerce
Bausch Health, Canada
Belleville Chamber of Commerce
BFL CANADA
Biogen Canada
BioMarin Pharmaceutical (Canada) Inc.
Birch Hill Equity Partners
BOMA Toronto
Brampton Board of Trade
BrightPoint Strategy
Brock University
Bruce Power
BWXT Canada Ltd.
Cameco Corporation
Camping In Ontario
Canada Life
Canadian Finance & Leasing Association
Canadian Franchise Association
Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association
Capital Power
Career Colleges Ontario
Centennial College
Coke Canada Bottling
Convenience Industry Council of Canada
Cumberland Strategies
DB2 Consulting Inc.
Desjardins
Diversity Institute
Drinks Ontario
Electrical Contractors Association of Ontario (ECAO)
Eli Lilly Canada
Enbridge
Facebook Canada
FleishmanHillard Highroad
Fragomen Canada
Framatome
GE Healthcare Canada
Gencity Consulting
General Electric Canada
General Motors of Canada Company
Golfdale Consulting, Inc.
Great Wolf Lodge
Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce
Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA)
GSK
Humber College
Innovative Medicines Canada
Insurance Bureau of Canada
Intact Financial Corporation
Internal Consulting Group
Jim Gray and Associates Inc.
Kinectrics
Lakeside process controls
LiUNA
Loblaw
Manulife
McCarthy Tétrault LLP
McKesson Canada
McTague Law Firm, LLP
Medavie
Medtech Canada
Medtronic Canada
Milton Chamber of Commerce
Mitacs
Northeastern University – Toronto
Nuclear Promise X Inc.
Institute of Corporate Directors
The Nuclear Waste Management Organization
Ontario Federation of Agriculture
Ontario Medical Association
Ontario Power Generation
Ontario Stone, Sand & Gravel Association
Ontario Waste Management Association
Power Corporation of Canada
Power Workers’ Union
Promation
PTAG Inc.
Select Wines
Seneca
Siemens Canada
SNC-Lavalin
Spirits Canada
Sun Life
Uber Canada
University of Guelph
Waste Connections of Canada
Waterloo Brewing Company
Whirlpool Canada
WSP Canada
York University

source: media release, Bruce Power & Ontario Chamber of Commerce