Ontario Together Fund (OTF) Awards $2.9 Million Towards Solving COVID-19 Challenges

The Ontario Together Fund (OTF) is a provincial COVID-19 government funding program that is supporting innovative ideas that meet the challenges brought on by the ongoing pandemic. The program has recently announced five successful applicants that have resulted in a total of $2.9 million awarded. The OTF program has recently announced an additional $50 million top-up for 2022.

Ontario Together Fund (OFT) Successful Applicants

In this article, we’ll be covering each of the five successful applicants and what their projects are in this round of Ontario Together Fund (OTF):

McArthur Medical Sales Inc. – Preventing COVID-19 in Hospitals

This Rockton, Ontario-based company created three products to combat COVID-19 transmission in hospitals. These products are the (1) Flusso By Pass, (2) Flusso TFI, and (3) EXHALO Shield. COVID-19 and other airborne contaminants are reduced using these devices in conjunction with oxygen therapy systems and mechanical ventilators.

“Support from the OTF will allow us to increase production of our Respiratory Therapist invented devices that improve patient care and staff safety. These Ontario invented and manufactured medical innovations have now proven to have positive implications for patients and healthcare staff worldwide.”
– Frank Fiorenza, RRT, Product Development Manager of McArthur Medical Sales

To increase production by five times the current level, McArthur Medical Sales is investing $798,800 of their own money into manufacturing equipment and machinery. The province of Ontario will contribute $379,000 through the Ontario Together Fund (OTF).

AGS Zephyr Inc. – Air Purification Within Businesses

AGS Zephyr Inc. is an Ontario-based company that specializes in air purification. They are investing over $350,000 to develop their Personal Zone Air Purifier (PZAP). This product will be used in restaurants and classrooms as well as commercial, industrial, and retail environments.

“The support provided by OTF will accelerate our product design development activities in addition to the ongoing collaboration with Mohawk College and McMaster University, both located in Hamilton. AGS Zephyr’s PZAP is an effective filtration device that supports a multi-layered approach to reducing the transmission of viruses such as COVID-19 and influenza within indoor dining environments.”
– Sam Alesio, Co-Founder and CEO of AGS Zephyr

A total of $88,750 will be invested by the Ontario government to support the company as it develops its new product.

Synaptive Medical Inc. – Protecting CT Scanners

This Toronto-based company is a leader in robotic surgical visualization and a global medical device and technology supplier. They have developed a drape concept that will help prevent contamination of CT scanners from patients with COVID-19 and other viral infections.

“Synaptive Medical is grateful for OTF’s support for us to create a drape to shield medical machines (MRIs, O-arm scanners and CT machines) from COVID-19 contamination and spread”
– Cameron Piron, President and Co-Founder of Synaptive Medical.

By investing $205,400, Synaptive Medical will adapt its CT drape design to be compatible with MRI and O-arm scanners to help shield them from patient contaminants such as COVID-19. Through its Ontario Together Fund (OTF), the province is contributing $153,300 towards the project.

Mitchell Plastics – Creating 400,000 Nasal Swabs Per Month

Headquartered in Kitchener, Mitchell Plastics is a North American auto parts manufacturer who has invested $578,900 in retooling part of the company’s Canadian operations so that it can manufacture nasopharyngeal swabs, including converting a section into clean-room conditions. The province of Ontario contributed $434,200 to the initiative through the OTF.

“Mitchell Plastics is proud to have partnered with the Ontario government to respond to the call to action to design and develop this medical device at a time of acute shortage and critical need,”
– Tim Goldhawk, Managing Director of Mitchell Plastics.

Mitchell Plastics can produce 400,000 nasopharyngeal testing swabs per month thanks to this project and the investment made through the Ontario Together Fund (OTF).

PAPP Plastics & Distributing Ltd. – Manufacturing 1,000,000 Testing Swabs Each Week

PAPP Plastics & Distributing Ltd., located in Windsor, is an injection-molded components company with experience in Tier 1 automotive manufacturing, parts assembly, and mold production. One of the company’s factories was repurposed for injection-molded nasopharyngeal swabs, costing $971,830. The province of Ontario contributed $490,000 to the investment through the Ontario Together Fund.

“When governments called on manufacturers to help answer the COVID-19 emergency, Papp Plastics and our employees enthusiastically responded. We designed parts, made face shields and with the Ontario government support, we were able to ramp up to enable production of millions of test swabs.”
– George Papp, Co-Owner, COO/General Manager of Papp Plastics & Distributing.

The company will be able to create one million testing swabs every week through the funding provided by the province of Ontario.

Apply for the Ontario Together Fund

Ontario has allocated an additional $50 million in the revived Ontario Together Fund (OTF) in 2021–22 to support innovative projects like the ones shown from these five companies. To ensure that Ontario is well-prepared for future problems, the fund is continuing to help local innovators and entrepreneurs to improve Ontario’s domestic supply chain capabilities, promote the province’s MedTech ecosystem, and build up our manufacturing sector. If you believe your business has a project that may be eligible for funding through the OTF program, reach out to the Mentor Works team to speak with our grant application writing team to see if your business may be a good fit for funding through this program.

For the latest COVID-19 grant, loan, and financial recovery program updates, visit our pandemic business support page to learn about the latest updates relating to federal and provincial programs.