Province Officially Extends State of Emergency for Another 28 Days

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Tuesday, 2 June 2020 14:22

Premier Ford was emphatic in saying the extension of the State of Emergency does not mean that reopening is on hold and they are still considering a regional approach to reopening the Province.

ONTARIO - The Province of Ontario has extended the State of Emergency until June 30th.

Premier Doug Ford says this does not mean they are delaying the reopening of the Province.

"Let me be clear, this does not mean that reopening is on hold. We are working around the clock to move ahead with our economic reopening. As I said last week, our health officials are working on the option of a regional model because we need a plan that recognizes the reality on the ground in different parts of our province.

Ford says a second wave of this virus is possible and we must remain vigilant.

"We need a plan that will help us reopen safely without taking unnecessary risks because a second wave of this virus is possible and we must, we must remain vigilant, and we must continue to prepare for the long haul."

Ford also talked about the Ontario government continuing to invest in local manufacturers in order to keep frontline workers and communities safe during the COVID-19 outbreak. More innovative businesses are receiving financial support today through the Ontario Together Fund to re-tool their processes and increase their capacity to make personal protective equipment (PPE).

The three new companies receiving support are:

Southmedic — Southmedic is a Barrie, Ontario based medical device manufacturer that distributes to more than 60 countries around the world. The province is providing $1.8 million to help the company reengineer and retool its current production, and purchase new moulding equipment. With this new equipment, the company will double its output of oxygen masks, triple its output of ETCO2 masks, which are specialty masks used to monitor breathing prior to ventilator use, and quadruple its output of eye and face shields to help meet the province's need for PPE. The funding will also allow the company to reorganize its production facility to allow for physical distancing.

Sterling Industries — Sterling Industries is a Concord, Ontario based contract manufacturer and assembler of medical devices and sub-components. The province is providing $1,023,325, which will allow the company to increase its output of face shields from 200,000 per week to more than a million per week. This increased capacity will help Sterling Industries deliver 10 million face shields to Ontario Health more quickly.

SRB Technologies — SRB Technologies is a Pembroke, Ontario based producer of self-powered emergency lighting and self-powered exit signs. The province is providing $59,889 to help the company convert a portion of its production from emergency lighting solutions for the nuclear, aerospace, construction and defence sectors to manufacturing medical-grade face shields, which will be supplied to regional hospitals and long-term care facilities.

On April 1, 2020, the government launched the $50 million Ontario Together Fund to support the development of proposals submitted by businesses and individuals through the Ontario Together web portal and help businesses retool their operations. All submissions received through the portal are being reviewed and prioritized to focus on solutions that can respond to where the need is greatest and what can be implemented quickly.

You can listen to the Premiers full statement below.