“Archipelago”: A Dreamy and Poetic Journey: Toronto Hot Docs

Félix Dufour-Laperrière’s “Archipelago” is an animated dreamy poetic journey in which 12 different animators show their style of animation.

The narration is at times poetic and very fluid. This in contrast to an old newsreel narrated in a 1950’s style. I think the newsreel was called “Les ÎIes de St. Laurent” taking a voyage from Montreal to the Atlantic Ocean on the St. Lawrence River.

There is no easily described storyline that certain viewers of this documentary might find difficult to deal with. However one advantage it does have is the possibilities it opens up for the viewer to make a decision what the story is. When we watch a documentary we are used to having a clear-cut story or topic however in this documentary the viewer is free to give a interpretation of what the documentary is about and it could be there is no definable story but rather an excuse for very poetic narration and creative animation.

Perhaps a statement from Dufour-Laperrière might influence your interpretation of this documentary, “To finally try to stage an imaginary journey, like a notebook of interior wanderings, in the real and invented Quebec of yesterday and today, a past and a present that dialogue with those of the continent. I say it’s a very intimate film because, from the start, I put in it a lot of things that I love, from Hubert Aquin to my grandmother, through the stark, sumptuous landscapes of the Charlevoix region, for example. But what began as an intimate space quickly expanded and also became a look at a shared territory.”

At one point the narration leads one to believe it is the St. Lawrence River that is telling the story. At other times could it be God is telling the story or is it history or perhaps a combination of all these interpretations? That might be part of the fun.

Part of the story is the St. Lawrence River and the towns and islands on it as it traverses to the Atlantic Ocean. The newsreel footage presents a Quebec of yesteryear. There are a few political comments that pop up in a discrete but unmistakeable fashion such as Montreal is the second largest French city in the world yet English is spoken there.

This 72-minute film from 2021 is from Quebec and is in French with English subtitles. It is having its North American premiere at Toronto Hot Docs and is available throughout Canada only. It will be opening in Quebec theatres in the fall of 2021. You can purchase tickets here https://hotdocs.ca/p/hot-docs-festival

You can see the trailer here https://vimeo.com/493531565

The film is available up to May 9^th.

“Mutantism on the March” :Chapter 55 “Bertie Foonbean and Squid Converse”

The ice began to melt after a couple of Moleson Export beers. They ate a sumptuous meal of lamb that the Greek Gods had provided and some wine sent from Bacchus. After their meal and the dishes had been cleaned they retired to the study for brandy and cigars.

Bertie initiated the conversation after lighting his Brazilian cigar, “Squid I must express my gratitude for you sheltering me and giving me such an honourable position. I can’t blame my parents and the other Greek Gods. They are perfection and an imperfection such as myself can not be expected to fit in their framework and……..”

Squid interjected, “Damn it Bertie. You have to stop thinking of yourself as an imperfection. You are a mutant and should be proud of that. Mutantism gives special attributes to mutants. Simply because they are gods does not excuse their errant thinking. You have immortality and other godlike characteristics that will certainly compensate for any deficiencies your mutantism may throw across your path. There are millions in worse shape than you and we have to work like Canadian beavers to right that. Just because you are different you should not be subject to harassment and discrimination. Please excuse the interruption Bertie. Continue.”

“Thank you. As I was saying I can’t condone their action but I understand it and I bear them no ill will. You and I just must accept it as we have more important things to do than fret about the past. You know they are an old-fashioned group of gods, an enigma in today’s world as they told me Uncle Willie Montenez used to say. I wonder if time has passed them by. If I had remained in the Zlano dimension with the Greek Gods I’d be hidden in the closet if you know what I mean. At least here on Earth I shall be up front and visible to all. If I can help less fortunate mutants so much the better. Sure, I can fly but what about those stuck in wheelchairs with reduced mobility or the marginals of Nicaragua? I hold my head proudly and endeavour to work so that all mutants can do the same and live without fear of eradication or discrimination. I offer you all my skills, energy and loyalty for the struggle ahead of us.”

“Thank you Bertie for your encouraging words. Let us hope we can instill comfort and hope amongst mutants. I have a dream. It will be a long and vicious battle but at this point the only way to go is forward. You must be exhausted so let us have another brandy and retire for the night.”

The Montreal establishment was deploring Squid and the mischief he was stirring up especially with inmates in psychiatric institutions and handicapped community homes. Sure….the local Chamber of Capitalists and the Cheetah Club had token mutants in their membership but they were nothing but shining examples of tokenism. Were these businessmen really helping the disadvantaged and handicapped? They in fact were stifling those whom they claimed to have an objective of advancing in society. There was no way they would permit a mutant to any degree of real power within their organizations.

Mutants no doubt had been inspired by Squid and were agitating for more power within organizations they were members of. The power structure was not going to permit this small advance of mutantism even in the charities chaired by the old boy’s club. The nerve of these mutants they thought. How ungrateful of our generosity of letting a few in our organization these old boys said amongst each other. These weakling mutants were now forcefully speaking out on some of the crucial issues that affected them. By gosh they were talking about their “exploitation”! Had they turned to communism? What did they want? A revolution? They were probing areas that best not be disturbed. The public was in state of near panic. What was wrong with basket weaving? Squid was public enemy number one amongst the “normals”.

“Kimmapiiyipitssini”: The Scourge of Fentanyl and Opioids in the Kainai Blackfoot Community in Southern Alberta: Toronto Hot Docs

“Kimmapiiypitssini” in Blackfoot in short means empathy and involves giving kindness to each other and feeling for others and you are blessed if you show it. Perhaps for me it is a vital component of mindful living.

Aa one police officer on the Blackfoot Reserve in Southern Alberta muses what would our people be like without colonization.

Yes many of us know about how the “Indians” of yesteryear succumbed to firewater but now, as with much of North America the latest scourge is fentanyl and opioids that are ravaging this Blackfoot reservation. No family is unaffected and not being in an urban centre treatment options are limited.

The documentary paints a dire picture of the drug plague in the Kainai First Nation in Southern Alberta. The documentary presents an exhaustive analysis of the rampant drug abuse problem facing the community.

The community is fighting back doing the best that it can and you’ll hear from physicians, nurses, EMS personnel, addicts, addiction counsellors, pharmacists and the many involved in what I see as an anti-addiction industry.

Thousands of lives lost mostly young adults in the 20–40-year-old range. It is so bad many babies are born addicted and need rehab through morphine so that they do not die from withdrawal. It is so bad that in 48 hours at one point there were 22 overdoses in the reserve.

Fentanyl raised its ugly head in 2014 on the reserve and the documentary certainly transmits the feeling of grief and loss amongst all the families.

The solution involves pouring resources, time and effort like battling a forest fire that is out of control. But the community is not giving up despite a battle between those of the older generation where alcohol was the killer and abstinence was the cure but these are new types of poison where perhaps “harm reduction” is a newer and more appropriate solution such as safe injection and drug taking sites.

Perhaps Lethbridge offers better resources but the indigenous population is not welcome there by white residents and prompting white resident Bradley Grey to beat to death a Blackfoot Indian and seriously injure another. The community of the Blackfoot responded by starting the Sage Clan street patrol a few nights a week to check for Blackfoot’s in danger. Sadly Sly Daniels a member of the Sage Clan a former addict later succumbs to an overdose.

Then there are Leah and George who you might classify as lost cases their faces ravaged by years of alcohol and drug abuse that come across as perpetual losers in their struggle to reach sobriety. George has been a victim of residential school abuse that has ravaged his soul.

The documentary presents a comprehensive view of how things are which we should be grateful to producer and writer Elle-Maija Tailfeather for but the question of why this happened might have been further explained. One professional in the battle may have summed it up by saying the drug abuse problem can be traced back to residential schools, inter-generational disconnect, lack of education, lack of proper education, lack of proper parenting, lack of job training, lack of hope and no training on life skills. And perhaps a lack of Kimmapiiyipitssini by the Alberta government that cut funding to addiction resources in Lethbridge Alberta that now gives Lethbridge the highest rates of death due to drug poisoning in Canada.

Yet in our Canadian media we hear more about “Black Lives Matter”, an American concept, than we do about “Indigenous Lives Matter”. This is Canada not the United States. For me it is about “All Lives Matter”.

This world premiere documentary is part of Toronto Hot Docs and is just over two hours in length. It is available in Canada only from April 29 to May 9. Tickets can be purchased at https://hotdocs.ca/p/hot-docs-festival

See the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmbaZdnpZkU&t=3s

“Mutantism on the March”: Chapter 54 “The Greek Gods Catch up with Squid”

After Squid’s brief address to the McSwill University students a strangely attired man wearing some ancient Greek garb walked up to Squid stating he had urgent business to discuss with him. Passing the awestruck audience Squid and the man headed up to his cave deep in Mount Royal. The man spoke, “I am from the Zlano dimension and am a messenger for the Greek Gods. The Gods have been observing you with interest for some time concerning your struggles for Mutantism as you call it. The Gods represent perfection and they have an embarrassing situation that is imperfection hence what you call a mutant. Do not think the Gods are cruel and trying to dispose of this mutant in their midst as after all this Bertie Foonbean is the child of Aphrodite and Zeus. We simply can’t have the Gods deal with imperfection in an atmosphere that demands perfection. If it was known a mutant lived amongst the Gods that would pose a great reputational risk to them. The Gods receive many visitors in Zlano and word could spread far and wide about Bertie Foonbean which might damage his ego. We wish to avoid this situation and ask if you who are so well qualified in dealing with mutants can help the Gods escape their quandary. The Gods offer you 2,000 kilos of gold annually (On an indexed to inflation basis) to mind and mentor Foonbean who has the face of an old wrinkled man and he is missing a leg. Will you help us?”

Squid replied, “I deplore your attitude messenger and have a low opinion of your bosses who labour under an impression they are perfect. I have yet to see a perfect living being. The Gods seem more concerned with their shallow image of perfection than in the care and development of the lad but they don’t have the courage to admit it. You may be fooling yourselves but not me. Go ahead and send Foonbean to me and I’ll take care of him. With his lineage I believe he is destined for something special. He is better here with me instead of an atmosphere of aloofness and shame.”

The messenger was delighted knowing he would be well rewarded for sloughing off Foonbean. “Thank you, sir. You have done a great service and consider the Greek Gods your allies and friends. Mentally the lad is strong so it is unfortunate he has these mutant characteristics. You might wish to think of him being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I shall return in several days with Bertie Foonbean and the gold.”

With these words the messenger disappeared but was back in three days with Bertie Foonbean and the gold. Bertie was perceptive and intelligent. He had the usual godlike characteristics of immortality and the ability to fly. The messenger had forgot to tell Squid Foonbean was missing an eye as well which was covered with a black patch embroidered with 24 carat gold. His head was both enormous and bald not to mention facial wrinkles that made him look like an old man. Despite these qualities both Earthlings and the Greek Gods would be considered as negatives Foonbean was upbeat and proud. Squid realized the potential in the lad and appointed him as his personal secretary as the paperwork was beginning to build up. Bertie was both enthusiastic glad to be of help. The Gods had, in the brief time he was in their custody, schooled him well on the history of Earthlings. All that would be needed was to brief him on the history of mutantism and its goals.

“Ostrov – Lost Island”: Misery and the New Tsardom: Toronto Hot Docs

The Russians have perfected the art over the last hundred years of criticizing authoritarian power through allegory in literature and poetry. Sometimes they get away with it but sometimes with novels from Solzhenitsyn like “Cancer Ward” or “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich” it goes too far for the authorities to tolerate.

In this documentary directed by Svetlana Rodina and Laurent Stoop in my mind, suspicious of authoritarianism as it may be, what jumps out is the Tsar like attributes of Vladimir Putin. News clips from television programmes show a confident leader promising stability and a solid economy coupled with strong defence forces like an imperial force saving the Russian minority in the Ukraine. And the characters in the documentary eagerly lap it up perhaps compensating for their poverty. And like a father they write him letters asking for more rights to fish in the Caspian Sea, medical facilities, fishing permits and electricity. I just get that feeling it is like old Tsarist Russia where a dispensation from the Tsar was one way of getting what you wanted. Of course, it is old news in the Western press that Putin is seen as a new Tsar. It is slightly implied in this film.

Aside from political implications the “main story” is about Ivan a fifty-year-old fisherman and his family who are living on Ostrov Island in the Caspian Sea the source of caviar from sturgeon. But with the fall of the USSR the fishery collective collapsed and permits for fisherman seemed to disappear so to survive Ivan and many of his fellow Ostrovians must poach hoping not to be caught by the coast guard or police. A precarious and stressful existence. Commandos roam the island looking for “evidence” of poaching. Some powerful interests are being protected!

Ivan is a proud Russian and fails to question how much state property and privileges ended up in oligarch’s hands. So he has his daughter write letters to Putin lamenting the loss of a military training base, schools and medical care. Well the man delivers with a fish warehouse being opened, medical staff sent, electricity made available and fishing permits granted. Ivan remarks Putin has given us powerful weapons and we are indestructible now. It is clear that May 9^th Victory Day where Russians celebrate victory of the Second World War emphasizes the huge sacrifices and death the Russians suffered at the hands of the Germans that national security will be a concern for decades to come.

An interesting documentary about the effects of the collapse of the USSR and the ingrained thought by many simple Russians pattern supporting imperial leadership in Russia.

The film is playing as part of Toronto Hot Docs from April 29^th to May 9^th. You can purchase tickets here https://hotdocs.ca/p/hot-docs-festival

Only available for viewing in Canada.

“About Endlessness”: Dare I Interpret?

This is a film that the director likes to taunt you into trying to interpret what it means. Yes a Swedish-Norwegian-German production puzzling you and challenging some sort of interpretation. No this is not “The Joker” or “Black Panther”. Instead you may be asking:” What the hell is going on here?” And that can be frustrating for the spoon-fed but perhaps a bit more in the realm of the artsy film buff.

In terms of artsy let’s start off by noting the starkness of the cinematography and the lack of warm human contact throughout the film.

I am not going to look at previous reviews of the film so as to corrupt my interpretation which basically is that the film attempts to capture the “human condition”.

This human condition is brought to life by a narrator that witnesses certain events of a variety of people. And what exactly is that human condition? Well ultimately that is up to you and if you like complex puzzles this film is for you.

My take is that the film is a study in guilt, failure, shame, cruelty, lack of love, loss of faith, death, tragedy, disappointment, fear of death, lack of compassion, jealously, treachery of politics, Muslim honor killing, betrayal, thwarting of ambition, distrust of the financial system and inconvenience.

Although we are born and die the themes of life continue beyond our death. Therefore life is endless.

This 2020 film begins its theatre run in Canada on April 30th. How and where you can access might be best determined through the film’s distributor’s website http://www.filmswelike.com/virtual-cinema

You can see the tailer here https://vimeo.com/514020631

Canada’s Approach of Vaccinations May Be Misguided: The 4 Month Wait For the Second COVID Vaccination May Be Dangerous for Your Health!

IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

15:00 UK Time / 10:00 US ET ? Friday 30 April, 2021

Prior SARS-CoV-2 infection rescues B and T cell responses to variants after first vaccine dose

A single dose of vaccine boosts protection against SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus variants, but only in those with previous COVID-19, a study has found.

In those who have not previously been infected and have so far only received one dose of vaccine the immune response to variants of concern may be insufficient.

The findings, published today in the journal Science and led by researchers at Imperial College London, Queen Mary University of London and University College London, looked at immune responses in UK healthcare workers at Barts and Royal Free hospitals following their first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.*

They found that people who had previously had mild or asymptomatic infection had significantly enhanced protection against the Kent and South Africa variants, after a single dose of the mRNA vaccine. In those without prior COVID-19, the immune response was less strong after a first dose, potentially leaving them at risk from variants.

Professor Rosemary Boyton, Professor of Immunology and Respiratory Medicine at Imperial College London, who led the research, said: ?Our findings show that people who have had their first dose of vaccine, and who have not previously been infected with SARS-CoV-2, are not fully protected against the circulating variants of concern. This study highlights the importance of getting second doses of the vaccine rolled out to protect the population.?

Blood samples were analysed for the presence and levels of immunity against the original strain of SARS-CoV-2, as well as the Kent (B.1.1.7) and South Africa (B.1.351) variants of concern. Along with antibodies ? the Y-shaped proteins which stick to the virus and help block or neutralize the threat ? the researchers also focused on two types of white blood cell: B-cells, which ?remember? the virus; and T cells, which help B cell memory and recognise and destroy cells infected with coronavirus.

They found that after a first dose of vaccine, prior infection was associated with a boosted T cell, B cell and neutralizing antibody response, which could provide effective protection against SARS-CoV-2, as well as the Kent and South Africa variants.

However, in people without previous SARS-CoV-2 infection, a single vaccine dose resulted in lower levels of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and the variants, potentially leaving them vulnerable to infection and highlighting the importance of the second vaccine dose.

The team looked at two variants of concern, however, they think it possible that the findings will apply to other variants in circulation, such as the Brazil (P.1) and India (B.1.617 and B.1.618) variants.

It remains unclear precisely how much protection is offered by T cells. Interestingly, the mutations in the Kent and South Africa variants here resulted in T cell immunity which could be reduced, enhanced or unchanged compared to the original strain, depending on genetic differences between people.

Professor Boyton commented: ?Our data show that natural infection alone may not provide sufficient immunity against the variants. Boosting with a single vaccine dose in people with prior infection probably does. As new variants continue to emerge, it is important to fast track global rollout of vaccines to reduce transmission of the virus and remove the opportunities for new variants to arise.?

Professor Danny Altmann, Professor of Immunology at Imperial, commented:

?At a time of generally improving outlook in those countries with substantial vaccine rollout programmes, this study reminds us of the need to be vigilant about the threat of the variants. Most vaccinated people in the UK have received just one dose. While we know this offers remarkable protection against the original virus, our data suggest this leaves people susceptible to variants of concern.”

Professor Áine McKnight, of Queen Mary University of London, said: ?Our study offers reassurance and a warning. We show that current vaccines offer some protection against variants of concern. However, people who have received only the first course of a double dose vaccine show a more muted immune response. We must ensure that the global vaccination programme is fully implemented. Current events in India make painfully clear the cost of complacency.?

Professor James Moon, of University College London and Barts, said: ?These results represent collaborative science at its best between hospitals, universities and public bodies providing important timely results to inform policy and strategy.?

The study was carried out in collaboration with researchers at Barts Health NHS Trust, Public Health England, Royal Free Hospital NHS Trust, University College London and University of Nottingham.

The research was supported by funding from the, UKRI Medical Research Council, Rosetrees Trust and Barts Charity.

–

?Prior SARS-CoV-2 infection rescues B and T cell responses to variants after first vaccine dose? by Reynolds, CJ. et al. is published in Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.abh1282

The published paper is available online – https://science.sciencemag.org/lookup/doi/10.1126/science.abh1282

“Mutantism on the March” :Chapter 53 “Squid Stirs Up Shit At McSwill University in Montreal”

Squid had many McSwill students offer to assist in establishing a Quebec mutant movement. Amongst the progressives Squid was seen as an inspirational figure. The establishment did not share the enthusiasm. The McSwill Board of Governors, pinnacles of capitalistic success, were wary of this new voice. The complete male composed Board had heavily invested their endowment Fund in Yankee mega corporations carrying on nefarious and highly undemocratic activities in the Third World countries. The glitter of gold had blinded many of the lofty principles the university espoused. Now the students were questioning the investment of the McSwill Endowment fund and its exclusive composition of rich old white men. Many of the McSwill University buildings were named after their ancestors who exploited the aboriginal and French-Canadian population with gay abandon.

In several of the meetings of the McSwill Board of Governors they censored this upstart Squid as a threat to the Canadian historical process and tradition meaning their ancestors were being exposed for what they were. Nasty old white men. Without grants from the elite and the Canadian mega corporations McSwill would drown in debt.

With encouragement from the Board security guards began to harass Squid. Many of these security guards were World War 2 veterans and merely calling Squid a communist, without any proof of that, raised the ire of the security guards. However these elderly arthritic plagued security guards could do little. Neither could the police as Squid was on public property.

The Board received some unexpected help. The Marxist-Leninists, an arm of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), attacked Squid and his supporters with two by fours slandering him as a “reactionary pseudo social democrat CIA swine and a capitalist roader dog who was a true enemy of the Chinese Cultural Revolution”. When Squid asked them what these Marxist-Leninist students were doing at such a capitalist university they calmed down and restricted their attacks to articles in their Socialist International Daily. The Daily was choked with outmoded Marxist dogma even they had difficulty contextualizing it when the proletarian had turned into the middle class. It would seem as the leader of the student Marxist-Leninists lived in Mom and Dad’s penthouse condominium at the Port Loyal complex Squid suggested the Marxist Leninists were the tools of the CIA and RCMP.

Squid found it odd that the Marxist-Leninist League of Canada had been granted exclusive dealership rights for Lada cars and jeeps manufactured in the USSR. They were now working for the fatherland and a 30% commission!

At a meeting of Montreal Mutant Society Squid made the point of distinguishing mutantism from Marxism by saying, “We love the use of Marxist terminology like the bourgeoisie, the proletarian, the lumpenproletarian and the petit-bourgeoisie as a convenient and useful sociological tool for classifying society. However as for the dictatorship of the proletarian that is a dream as it has failed miserably in the USSR and here in North America and Europe the working class are in effect often the middle class due to the power of their unions.

Mutants can be from any class and therein lies our power. Unification is often more important than division. Down with the Socialist International! Power to the United Mutations.”

In the meantime, the Marxist-Leninists had stirred up and goaded the mutant chapter at Sir George Bilkem University and a riot ensued that lasted for 4 days with mass destruction and many arrests. Why were so many Marxist-Leninists now carrying RCMP badges? Easy guess. Filthy stoolies.

Ontario extends COVID freeze on tuition for colleges and universities

NEWS RELEASE

Ontario Extends Freeze on College and University Tuitions

Initiative provides families and students with more financial relief during COVID-19

April 30, 2021

Colleges and Universities

TORONTO — The Ontario government is extending the current one-year tuition freeze for colleges and universities by an additional year, providing more financial relief and predictability for families and students seeking access to affordable postsecondary education.

“Students and their families make significant sacrifices to attend college and university,” said Ross Romano, Minister of Colleges and Universities. “The financial uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic further underscores the need to keep college and university programs affordable. By freezing tuition our government is continuing to reduce the financial strain on families’ pocketbooks.”

The one-year tuition freeze for Ontario residents builds on Ontario’s historic 10 per cent reduction in tuition in 2019-20, and one-year tuition freeze in 2020-21, making postsecondary education more affordable for Ontario students and their families. These reductions represent the first of their kind in Ontario’s history. The government’s action to reduce and freeze tuition has provided students with tuition relief of approximately $450 million annually when compared to tuition costs in 2018-19.

“It is critical to the economic recovery of Ontario that today’s students, and tomorrow’s leaders, innovators and workers can obtain the skills they need to succeed in a highly competitive global economy,” said Minister Romano. “The extended tuition freeze will ensure Ontarians have affordable access to our first-class postsecondary education system and will provide financial relief to our families.”

In addition to the freeze, the tuition framework for domestic out-of-province students will return to a system similar to the previous framework with the option for a three per cent increase in 2021-22.

Quick Facts

Average university tuition in Ontario has increased significantly since the mid-1990s. Prior to the 2019-20 tuition reduction, Ontario university tuition rates were the highest in any Canadian province. Ontario has now dropped to the third highest in Canada for undergraduate students and the second highest for graduate students.
Students enrolled in a university undergraduate arts and science degree will pay an average of $660 less in tuition than if the tuition reduction and freeze policy had not been put in place.
To support students and the postsecondary education sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ontario government:
- provided $106.4 million for publicly assisted colleges and universities to help address the financial impacts of COVID-19 in 2020-21.
- helped address critical maintenance, repairs, upgrades and renewals at publicly-assisted colleges and universities with $466 million over three years, starting in 2020-21.
- distributed $25 million in funding at the start of the pandemic to help publicly-assisted colleges, universities and Indigenous Institutes with immediate impacts of COVID-19.
- invested $10.25 million more than previous years to bolster mental health supports for postsecondary students.
- launched a $50 million Virtual Learning Strategy to help expand access to a high-quality, market-responsive, and globally competitive “Ontario Made” education.
- announced $59.5 million over three years to support Ontario’s first micro-credentials strategy, which will help people retrain and upgrade their skills to find new employment.

Ontario Donating Critical Lifesaving Medical Equipment to India

April 30, 2021

Office of the Premier

TORONTO — Today, Premier Doug Ford issued the following statement:

“The COVID-19 pandemic has strained health care systems around the world. While our province is facing a challenging third wave of COVID-19 driven by new, more-contagious variants, we continue to be committed to helping our friends and partners.

In response to a call for help from the High Commissioner to Canada and Consul General in Toronto, Ontario will donate 3,000 ventilators to the Indian Red Cross. The Ontario government will also help coordinate the transportation of approved medical equipment that is being put together for the Indian Red Cross by the Indian diaspora and friends of India in Ontario.

While we remain very concerned about the challenges facing our hospitals here at home as more patients require intensive care, we have taken decisive action to add more hospital beds than ever before. Doing so will allow us to safely support our friends and allies in desperate need of help while never sacrificing our ability to care for Ontarians.

The made-in-Ontario e700 Transport ventilators are manufactured by O-Two Medical Technologies, a company based in Brampton, with support from the Ontario Together Fund. This partnership is another example of Team Ontario working together during this pandemic to support those in need, both here at home and abroad.

We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the people of India during these difficult times. Our government will keep working closely with His Excellency, Ajay Bisaria, High Commissioner of India and Apoorva Srivastava, Consul General of India to Toronto and stand ready to assist further with India’s urgent needs, for as long as we are able to. We are all in this together and we will all overcome this together.”

For a short YouTube video on the e-700 ventilator https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtNvbxnvoK0&t=13s