The Canadian military has been called in to help Ontario deal with a third wave of COVID-19.
Public Safety Minister Bill Blair made the announcement last night, following a request by Solicitor General Sylvia Jones.
Blair says the Canadian Forces will provide medical and civilian human health resources within medical care facilities in Ontario, as well as logistical and administrative support.
“We are always ready to help provinces and territories across Canada in their fight against COVID-19. This is a team Canada effort, and I’m grateful to the Canadian Armed Forces, Canadian Red Cross, and health professionals who have stepped up to help a neighbour in need. There has been outstanding collaboration between the responding organizations from all orders of government in response to this emergency, and I want to thank all those on the front lines who continue battle to keep Canadians safe.”- The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
The federal government is also prepared to deploy federal health human resources, provide support from the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), and fund the redeployment of the Canadian Red Cross (CRC) to augment or relieve staff within medical care facilities. In addition, the CAF will be providing airlift of medical personnel from Newfoundland and Labrador and possibly other jurisdictions.
The CAF is preparing to deploy up to three multi-purpose medical assistance teams (MMATs), which are scalable healthcare provider teams primarily composed of Nursing Officers and Medical Technicians as well as additional CAF members for general duty support as applicable. The MMATs will be rotated in and out of the province rather than deployed simultaneously to ensure that CAF support is sustainable. Work is currently underway to complete on the ground assessments, which will determine the exact number of CAF personnel who will be dedicated to this request.
This morning, Royal Canadian Air Force personnel will be flying medical personnel from Newfoundland and Labrador to Toronto to help in Ontario medical facilities.
For the official statement, please click here.
We have approved a request for assistance from Ontario to provide support to their provincial healthcare system against #COVID19. @CanadianForces will provide medical + civilian human health resources within medical care facilities in ON, as well as logistical and admin. support.
— Bill Blair (@BillBlair) April 26, 2021
Update from @HarjitSajjan and @BillBlair: To make sure Ontarians have the support they need as COVID-19 cases continue to climb, we’re sending the province additional resources – including federal health care workers, and support from the @CanadianForces and @RedCrossCanada. https://t.co/ICrk15Zr7r
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) April 26, 2021