Ontario Power Generation (OPG) is donating 500,000 surgical masks and 75,000 N95 masks to the Province of Ontario to address the need for personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The world is facing an unprecedented health and economic crisis that requires the mobilization and participation of every individual and every business in this country,” said Ken Hartwick, OPG’s president and CEO. “As the province’s largest electricity generator, OPG has…a social responsibility to do everything we can to help meet our communities’ most vital health care needs.”

“We face extraordinary challenges as Ontario and the world responds to COVID-19. I thank OPG for their leadership and commitment to protecting Ontarians by making this donation of supplies for our frontline health care workers. We must all work together during this critical time,” said Greg Rickford, Minister of Energy, Mines, Northern Development and Indigenous Affairs.

This week, OPG is coordinating delivery of a shipment of 250,000 surgical and 50,000 N95 masks to the Ministry of Health for distribution to hospitals, long-term care homes and other essential healthcare providers in the most-needed areas of the province. OPG will then reserve the remaining 250,000 surgical and 15,000 N95 masks “for future donation where needs are greatest”.

Separately, this week OPG is also donating 5,000 N95 masks and 10,000 surgical masks directly to Scarborough Health Network (SHN) and Lakeridge Health in Oshawa, as well as 10 powered air purifying respirators (PAPDs) to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, in an effort to meet the urgent need for these items.

The donated masks were part of OPG’s inventory of PPE for its workers as part of its own emergency preparedness and response plan, which includes the pre-purchase and storage of pandemic supplies. As its inventory exceeds its needs at this time, the organization chose to share some of its stock. OPG will continue to maintain a reserve of surgical and N95 masks for its critical workers.