Saint-Michel vaccination centre opens on May 31 FIVE CORPORATE LEADERS JOIN FORCES TO SET UP A VACCINATION CLINIC IN THE CITÉ DES ARTS DU CIRQUE

Montréal, May 26, 2021 - Keurig Dr Pepper Canada, the Fonds de solidarité FTQ, McKesson Canada, Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group, and TOHU, in collaboration with the CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, have answered the Québec government’s call by joining forces to open a COVID-19 vaccination clinic in the Cité des arts du cirque in the Saint-Michel neighbourhood of Montréal. By adding resources and capacity to the community effort, the new centre will accelerate the pace of the vaccination campaign in these districts, which currently have one of the lowest participation rates in the metropolis.

The vaccination centre will be located in the Cirque du Soleil residences, right across the street from the company's headquarters at 8333, 2e Avenue. It will be open Monday to Thursday from noon to 8 p.m., and Friday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., until the end of August. Appointments can be made online now via the Clic Santé platform. The objective is to administer a total of 17,430 doses during the summer.

The clinic will be open to the general public, including employees of partner companies and their immediate family members, always in the order of priority established by the government.

Having business activities in this area of Montréal as well as a close relationship with local residents, the partners of the Saint-Michel vaccination centre also plan to support the clinic’s communications and promotional efforts. The centre’s partners will work with neighbourhood organizations in an effort to reach as many groups as possible from the various ethnocultural communities.

Keurig Dr Pepper Canada, the Fonds de solidarité FTQ, McKesson Canada, Groupe Cirque du Soleil and TOHU have committed, each in their own way, to contribute to the project. The partner companies will set up and operate the vaccination clinic, including managing the site, staff and logistical equipment. Also noteworthy is the financial contribution of Sun Life, which has donated $20,000 towards the implementation of this unprecedented project. 

Quotes

“Keurig Dr Pepper Canada has been rooted in the Saint-Michel community for decades and has always had the well-being of the neighbourhood at heart. This is why we are proud to support the vaccination campaign in our borough alongside renowned partners and the CIUSSS de l'Est-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, which will be with us every step of the way to make this initiative a success. Soliciting businesses to ensure the safety and health of citizens is a first in the history of the province, and Keurig Dr Pepper Canada felt strongly about this call to contribute to the well-being of its community.”

- Cynthia Shanks, Director, Communications and Sustainability,

Keurig Dr Pepper Canada

“When the call went out to companies to contribute to the collective vaccination effort, the Fonds de Solidarité FTQ immediately responded. For us, investing in a better society means putting people, the well-being of communities and that of our employees at the heart of our actions. We are therefore particularly proud to contribute, with our partners, to the establishment of a vaccination centre that will serve the neighbourhood where we have been established for nearly 30 years.”

- Janie Béïque, President and Chief Executive Officer,

Fonds de solidarité FTQ

“In addition to our involvement in the distribution of the vaccine to the Québec pharmacy network, McKesson Canada is pleased to participate in this initiative to help support the COVID-19 vaccination efforts in Québec. Coming together as a community is critical to our success, and this unprecedented partnership between organizations from different sectors is a great example of what we can accomplish when we all work together.”

- Jean-Philippe Blouin, Senior Vice-President, Pharmaceutical Distribution and Operations,

McKesson Canada

“Cirque du Soleil Group is very proud to contribute to the vaccination effort underway in Quebec. As a global citizen, we aim to have a positive impact on the communities around us and we are very proud to contribute, with our partners, to the establishment of a vaccination center on the site of our Montreal headquarters, which will serve the community of the St-Michel district where we made our home nearly 25 years ago. This initiative will allow us to make a significant gesture towards the neighbourhood community and to support the efforts of the health and social services network. We have agreed to lend a hand because we believe in the importance of this collective effort, which represents one more step towards a return to normalcy and the revival of our industry. »

- Caroline Couillard, Global Head of Public Relations, Public Affairs & CSR

- Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group

“TOHU has always had the needs of the Saint-Michel community at heart. We are a large circus family and we have always shown solidarity, which is what makes us strong. We want to reproduce this solidarity with our neighbourhood and thus contribute to making this vaccination centre possible. We all urgently need to return to normalcy to happily resume encounters between the artists and the public.”

- Stéphane Lavoie, Executive and Programming Director,

TOHU

For more information, please contact:

Justin Meloche

514 995-9704

jmeloche@national.ca