Nine million pieces of PPE were sourced and many more pieces were manufactured locally thanks to the efforts of TaskforceNL.

Business operator Cathy Bennett started the effort last year, putting the call out to local business owners in helping to secure personal protective equipment for front-line health care workers.

Since then, TaskforceNL, which became incorporated as a not-for-profit last year, has been successful in acquiring and manufacturing PPE including nine Health Canada-approved products—three of which are currently being sold.

Bennett says among the partnerships created was the engagement of the Craft Council of NL, which secured 240 sewers from 17 hubs across ten communities in the province that worked on five different products.

By the end of 2020, Bennett learned that of the 13 Craft Councils across Canada, the NL Craft Council was one of only two that remained, thanks in large part to the work supplied through TaskforceNL.

Bennett says Newfoundland and Labrador will probably never go back to relying solely on the international market for things like PPE again.

Jason Fudge of DF Barnes was one of the early partners with TaskforceNL and says they see continued opportunities into the future. They’re now working on producing nitro gloves, currently only manufactured in Asia, locally.

TaskforceNL is now encouraging employers and organizations to offer work placements for co-op students through a new program called ‘Project Co-Operation.’ Contact info@taskforcenl.com for more information on the project.