To my fellow Ontarians,

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us all to question everything we have always taken for granted. I know that as millions of you stay home to help slow the spread of this virus, you’re feeling uncertain about the future. But you can feel certain of this: OPG’s dedicated frontline workers will continue generating reliable electricity to power Ontario’s hospitals, care facilities, and homes.

Across our operations, these employees are continuing their important work. Operators, technicians, and trades at our nuclear, hydro and thermal stations are ensuring our units are generating power safely and reliably; nuclear and dam safety workers are protecting the community and our operations; hygiene advisors are working to assess employees’ health; and our security teams, emergency response personnel, and cleaning staff are continuing to keep our sites safe.

They do this because they are dedicated to their jobs. They also know that now more than ever, their efforts can provide a sense of continuity, something you can count on.

In addition to generating clean, reliable power, OPG also supplies Cobalt-60, an important medical isotope that serves a vital safety function. The isotope is used to irradiate and sterilize about 40 per cent of the world’s single-use medical devices, such as syringes, gloves, and surgical instruments. Currently, almost half of the world’s Cobalt-60 is produced by Ontario’s nuclear reactors. We are proud of our role in helping frontline health care workers have access to sterilized devices as they care for our friends and loved ones.

To further assist our health care workers and the provincial community in this time of need, OPG has donated 500,000 surgical masks and 75,000 N95 masks through the Ministry of Health to help address the shortage of important personal protective equipment at hospitals, long-term care homes and other essential health care providers. Another 10 Power Assisted Air Purification Respirators (PAAPRs) were provided to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto to help meet the urgent need for this equipment.

And, like many companies inspired by the Government’s “Ontario Together” call to action, our talented, creative employees are currently brainstorming other ways we can help. I hope to share some additional community support initiatives in the near future.

As we look to the coming months, there is still much uncertainty ahead of us. Amid this challenge, I am confident we at OPG will continue to do our very best to help support Ontario by providing essential power reliably and safely. I am also confident that through our resolve and resilience as Ontarians, we will get through this. Together, we will all power on.

Thank you and be well.

Ken Hartwick
President and CEO, OPG