Ontario Vaccination Support Council launches online portal to support COVID-19 vaccine distribution

(Toronto – March 4, 2021) – Today, 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.

“We are pleased to launch the Ontario Vaccination Support Council Portal with our partners at Bruce Power and Facebook Canada,” said Rocco Rossi, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (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.”

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.

“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,” said James Scongack, Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs & Operational Services of Bruce Power. “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.”

“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,” said Garrick Tiplady, Managing Director of Facebook Canada. “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.”

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.

Visit the portal at vaccinesupportcouncil.com. To learn more about the OVSC, see Ontario Business Community Launches the COVID-19 Ontario Vaccination Support Council.

-30-

About the Ontario Chamber of Commerce

For more than a century, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) has been the independent, non-partisan, indispensable partner of Ontario business. The OCC’s mission is to support economic growth in Ontario by defending business priorities at Queen’s Park on behalf of its network’s diverse 60,000 members.

For more information, please contact:
Ceara Copps – Edwards
Manager, Public Affairs
cearacoppsedwards@occ.ca| Mobile: (647) 936-6734