THE BC Economic Development Association (BCEDA) has awarded the Surrey Makes PPE initiative the Economic Resiliency and Recovery Award.
The BCEDA Award is given for a successful recovery initiative from natural and man-made disasters, including COVID-19, and promoting long term resiliency. The Surrey Makes PPE initiative was launched last April to meet the demand for made-in-Canada PPE.
“I am proud that our Surrey Makes PPE has been duly recognized,” said Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum. “The initiative was introduced when there was a shortage of PPE due to the reliance on foreign made supplies. Surrey Makes PPE stepped in at a critical time to create a Made-in-Canada PPE supply chain. I want to commend our Surrey manufacturers for their ability to pivot quickly to meet the needs of our health-care professionals, frontline workers, and essential businesses at such a crucial time. With a made-in-Canada supply chain now firmly established, Surrey Makes PPE has helped to protect Canadians not only through COVID but also through future disasters.”
Since its inception, Surrey Makes PPE program has sold over $12 million worth of high quality personal protective equipment to help Canadians combat COVID-19. Twenty-five Surrey manufacturers have retooled or started production of PPE supplies, which include 95PFE masks, Canada’s equivalent of a N95 mask.
“This award is a testament to just how quickly Surrey manufactures can adapt to meet the emerging needs of our community, and our country,” said Councillor Allison Patton, Chair of the Agriculture, Environment and Investment Committee. “We thank the manufactures who stepped up to participate in the Surrey Makes PPE initiative, which protected Canada’s most vulnerable, in a time that it was needed the most. This award is proof that we are stronger when we work together, and I congratulate everyone involved.”
To date, Surrey Makes PPE manufacturers have supplied communities across Canada with:
- 60,000 N95 equivalent face masks
- 20,000+ non-medical masks
- 320,000+ shields
- 1,000,000+ litres of disinfectants and hand sanitizers
- 13,000+ medical gowns
- 5000+ barriers
This is the second award for Surrey Makes PPE. Earlier this year, Surrey Makes PPE was awarded the 2020 UBCM Community Excellence Award: Excellence in Service Delivery. More information can be viewed here.
