JOINT NEWS RELEASE
DOUG DOWNEY, BARRIE-SPRINGWATER-ORO-MEDONTE MPP
ANDREA KHANJIN, BARRIE-INNISFIL MPP
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Today, Doug Downey, MPP for Barrie-Springwater-Oro-Medonte, was joined for a tour of key manufacturing facilities who are providing PPE to frontline workers by Finance Minister Rod Phillips and MPP for Barrie-Innisfil, Andrea Khanjin.
The MPP and Ministers toured the facilities at Southmedic Inc. in Barrie and Molded Precision Components in Oro-Medonte. These facilities are part of the hundreds of Ontario businesses who have answered the call to create Personal Protective Equipment, or PPE, for medical frontline staff and other frontline service workers.
Southmedic Inc., located in the north end of Barrie, is a recent recipient of a provincial investment of $1.8 million, earmarked to help the company re-engineer and retool its current production and purchase new moulding equipment. Molded Precision Components recently celebrated the production of its millionth face shield.
In partnership with J. Sterling Industries of Concord, Molded Precision Components has been serving both Federal and Provincial contacts to produce medical equipment for frontline workers.
“Today is a celebration of the ingenuity and community spirit of these companies,” said Doug Downey, MPP for Barrie - Springwater - Oro-Medonte. “When COVID-19 struck, Molded Precision Components and Southmedic Inc. were two of the first companies to answer the call for protective equipment. Now, their work has helped us to move towards recovery. They are both the true definition of the Ontario Spirit right here in the riding of Barrie-Springwater-Oro- Medonte.”
Minster Phillips also joined MPP Andrea Khanjin to tour Discount Granite Plus with owner and operator, Stephanie Gourlie.
“Stephanie is just one of many examples of local business operators who are providing each other with advice on how best to operate in Stage 2,” said MPP Khanjin. “While businesses might not look exactly the same as they did before the pandemic began, our local retailers are open and are welcoming clients back.”
For more information on how local businesses are retooling operations to produce medical and protective equipment, or for more information about Stage 2 re-openings, please visit www.DougDowney.ca or www.Andreampp.com.
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