Canada Goose just delivered its first shipment of medical gear to Canadian hospitals
The Toronto-based outerwear juggernaut Canada Goose has successfully pivoted from producing fancy jackets for rich people to producing much-needed personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline healthcare workers.
As previously announced, the company switched over operations at two of its factories in Toronto and Winnipeg less than two weeks ago.
Now, it's in the process of delivering 14,000 gowns and scrubs to hospitals across the country, at no charge.
And CEO Dani Reiss says their teams are only getting started.
Canada Goose steps up. Delivers First PPEs, Reopens 6 Facilities. https://t.co/Z7p93B5QcP #cdnpoli #COVIDー19 pic.twitter.com/ouoA3ihXpc
— Phil vonFinckenstein (@PhilvF) April 9, 2020
Goose Holdings Inc. announced in a press release Thursday morning that it now plans to "ramp up domestic production of personal protective equipment" by opening all eight of its manufacturing facilities in Canada over the next two weeks.
All of the shops will be running at full capacity with some 900 employees working to support the company's efforts in providing free PPE to healthcare workers.
"These unprecedented times call for decisive, collective action and now is the time for Canada to invest in Made-in-Canada solutions," said Reiss in this morning's release.
"With one of the largest Canadian apparel manufacturing infrastructures in the country, we are uniquely positioned to re-tool our facilities and refocus our teams to produce a variety of personal protective equipment — and we are prepared to leverage all of our resources to do what's right for our country."
Thank you for all that you do to help keep our communities safe! We’d love to chat more with you about the program. Do you mind sending us a private message so we can get your contact information?
— Canada Goose (@canadagoose) March 30, 2020
Dwindling supplies of masks, gloves, gowns and other protective equipment for healthcare professionals have become an increasingly grave concern for people who work in hospitals and those who love them.
Government officials have been struggling to secure as much as possible to fill the gap until Ontario ramps up its own production of supplies such as the newly-announced N96.
Canada Goose isn't the first company to step up in these trying times — IKEA, Bauer, Huawei, many local designers and even individuals are either donating or producing PPE of their own for frontline workers in Canada.
Canada Goose
Join the conversation Load comments