Protecting Supply Chains Critical to COVID-19 Response

(Toronto – April 6, 2020) – Today, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) and Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) hosted a roundtable with the Honourable Victor Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade on the importance of air cargo and supply chains to the COVID-19 response.

“It’s never been clearer how critical Ontario’s supply chain and the businesses within it are to the health and prosperity of this province. Businesses from coast to coast are stepping up, joining the fight, and diverting resources to combat COVID-19,” said Rocco Rossi, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. “We are dedicated to working with business and our partners, like the GTAA, to keep air cargo and supply chain goods moving.”

“The air cargo supply chain will be even more important in the weeks ahead and will continue to be vital for our health and economic recovery,” said Deborah Flint, President and Chief Executive Officer of the GTAA. “In these unprecedented times, we are dedicated to working with all partners in the supply chain—from airlines, freight forwarders, and government—to ensure critical cargo operations continue to move in and out of Canada.”

“Ontario’s air cargo and supply chain systems have stepped up and responded to the call to action during these unprecedented times,” said the Honourable Victor Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. “Our government has made a firm commitment to continue working with the air cargo sector and all partners in our supply chain to ensure that the movement of essential goods continues, especially the critical supplies our frontline workers rely on.”

Topics of discussion during the roundtable included: the importance of goods movement to the Canadian economy, changes that could help support goods movement during this unprecedented time, and the role that the sector will play in longer-term economic recovery. Insights from the discussion are expected to help shape stakeholder response during the critical weeks and months ahead.

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About the Ontario Chamber of Commerce
For more than a century, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) has been the 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:
Michelle Eaton
Vice President, Public Affairs
Ontario Chamber of Commerce
michelleeaton@occ.ca | 647-261-4594