Ontario Welcomes Major Investment to Manufacture More Vaccines
CAMBRIDGE — The Ontario government has secured a multi-million-dollar investment from Moderna Inc. to expand vaccine manufacturing and provide Ontarians with faster, more reliable access to life-saving vaccines. The Ontario government is supporting the project with a $4 million investment through the Ontario Together Fund.
“Moderna’s new investment is a huge vote of confidence in our province, our workers, and our growing life sciences sector,” said Premier Doug Ford. “Not only will this investment create good paying jobs, it will provide our health care workers and people with more reliable access to life-saving vaccines, helping to ensure we no longer have to rely on other jurisdictions to keep us safe.”
Moderna is partnering with Novocol Pharma to add new manufacturing capabilities in their Cambridge facility that will complete the final steps of preparing and packaging respiratory mRNA vaccines for distribution in Ontario and throughout Canada. The partnership will create highly skilled jobs for workers in Cambridge and the surrounding region and help the province become more self-sufficient in case of future health emergencies.
“Through the Ontario Together Fund, we continue to grow our life sciences sector and help Ontario businesses innovate and bring their ideas to market,” said Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. “Our government is proud to partner with companies like Moderna and Novocol Pharma as they help make Ontario home to the next generation of medical technology solutions. Expanding our biomanufacturing capacity will help ensure we have a strong medical supply chain today and in the future.”
“By building homegrown capacity to produce life-saving vaccines, Ontario will no longer need to rely on other countries to keep our communities safe,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “This partnership between Moderna and Novocol Pharma will create good paying jobs for the Cambridge community and help shore up our domestic production of vaccines to ensure faster access in the event of a future public health challenge.”
Ontario continues to attract investments and jobs from companies around the world. Over the past two and half years, life sciences companies and global biomanufacturers have invested over $3 billion in investments in Ontario.
Quick Facts
- Ontario’s life sciences sector is comprised of a collaborative ecosystem of partners, including hospitals, research centres, universities, technology incubators, start-ups, scientists and domestic and multinational companies.
- To enhance Ontario’s domestic supply chain capacity, Ontario invested $100 million in the Ontario Together Fund to support manufacturers and innovators like Moderna. In addition to Moderna, the program has announced support for 62 companies and 11 organizations to date.
- To support the next phase of Taking Life Sciences to the Next Level, Ontario’s life sciences strategy, the province has established a Life Sciences Council. This new council will explore ways to support the creation of good-paying jobs, accelerate commercialization and encourage the adoption of Ontario-made innovations to improve health care and grow the economy.
- The health and life sciences sectors employ more than 70,000 people in Ontario. Every year, more than 65,000 STEM students graduate from post-secondary programs across the province, producing one of the most highly skilled life sciences workforces in the world.
- In 2018, Ontario’s life sciences sector generated more than $58.7 billion in revenue. Annually, the life sciences sector exported $11 billion in goods, representing 62 per cent of total Canadian life sciences exports.
Quotes
"Our government’s investment in this partnership between Moderna and Novocol Pharma is terrific news for Cambridge, one of the strongest economic areas of our country. Cambridge has a strong labour force and the highly-skilled jobs created by this project will further bolster our reputation as a community of choice to live, work and raise a family. This investment in our manufacturing sector further illustrates that Cambridge is a preferred location to invest and do business."
- Brian Riddell
MPP for Cambridge
"Moderna is pleased to be growing a bigger presence in Ontario through our agreement with Novocol Pharma, thanks in part to the important contribution from the Government of Ontario. Today’s announcement complements our activities in Quebec and contributes to Moderna’s long-term partnership with the Federal Government to provide onshore respiratory vaccine manufacturing capabilities and support national pandemic readiness for all Canadians."
- Patricia Gauthier
President and General Manager of Moderna Canada
"Novocol Pharma, a Septodont company, is honored to be Moderna’s fill-finish partner for domestic production of vaccines. Our partnership is a synergy of capabilities between our respective organizations. Together, we will strengthen Canada’s domestic supply chain for the production of vaccines and pandemic preparedness. This achievement has been made possible through collaboration between the private and the public sector, at both provincial and federal levels."
- Atif Zia
Chief Operating Officer of Septodont and President of Novocol Pharma