Ontario Invests in PPE Testing Services in Toronto
Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade
2021-08-30 11:00:00

TORONTO — Kinectrics Inc. is investing over $841,000 to expand and implement industry-standard testing techniques for PPE, with support of more than $252,000 provided through the Ontario Together Fund. The investment will help the company scale up testing resources for surgical masks and N95 respirators and introduce new PPE testing services for surgical gowns and medical drapes.

Supporting innovative projects like Kinectrics’ is why Ontario has invested an additional $50 million in the renewed Ontario Together Fund in 2021–22. The fund will continue to support local innovators and businesses to further enhance Ontario’s domestic supply chain capacity, promote Ontario’s MedTech ecosystem and build up our manufacturing sector to ensure the province is well-prepared for future challenges.

The renewed Ontario Together Fund is focused on supporting homegrown manufacturing and innovation to combat COVID-19 and providing other goods critical to the health, safety, and security of Ontarians beyond this pandemic. It is doing so under the following strategic pillars:

  • Strengthening Ontario’s domestic manufacturing capacity
  • Supporting homegrown technologies and innovative solutions
  • Strengthening Ontario’s MedTech ecosystem.

“Through the Ontario Together Fund, our government is making targeted investments in Ontario-based businesses with the ideas and solutions to help us through this pandemic,” said Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. “Kinectrics’ ability to adapt their testing capabilities for PPE used in the nuclear industry to the medical industry is another example of Ontario innovation at its very best. Ontario manufacturers continue to enhance our resilience to respond to any challenge while strengthening our economy.”

Kinectrics provides life cycle management services for the electricity and nuclear industry, with expertise in engineering, testing, inspection, and certification. Kinectrics collaborates closely with customers to ensure that utility assets perform safely, reliably and efficiently throughout their entire life cycle – from initial design and type testing to operational deployment and maintenance services. The company’s testing resources support nuclear utilities with world class expertise in design engineering, nuclear safety and licensing, major components analysis, nuclear equipment solutions, inspection and maintenance systems, and radioactive material and chemistry services.

“The support from OTF has helped Kinectrics expand leading test capabilities including medical PPE, allowing us to offer long-term testing based in Ontario. Kinectrics is proud to support the establishment and maintenance of critical supply chains for personal and medical PPE,” said David Harris, President and CEO of Kinectrics. “Having tested over 30,000 surgical and procedure masks and over 2,000 respirators, the accredited laboratories at Kinectrics ensure through high capacity and fast turnaround that PPE testing is available for all future needs.”

"Ontarians deserve to know that the PPE used to combat the pandemic are both provincially-sourced and of the highest reliability," said Etobicoke-Lakeshore MPP Christine Hogarth. "This investment by Kinectrics Inc. and the Ontario Together Fund is a real confidence booster - and great news for safeguarding good Ontario jobs."

Healthy people are essential for a healthy economy. With vaccine distribution continuing to increase, hope is on the horizon. Ontario’s Action Plan: Protecting People’s Health and Our Economy provides the resources necessary to finish the battle with COVID-19, building on the government’s record investments to protect health and jobs during the global pandemic.