The Canadian Shield Donates 750,000 Face Shields to Schools Across Canada

When The Canadian Shield began manufacturing reusable face shields in March 2020, it made a call to the community asking for help getting as much personal protective equipment (PPE) to front-line healthcare workers as possible.

Hundreds of teachers and school boards across Ontario and the country answered the call, 3D printing the visor components the start-up needed to produce its reusable shields. Altogether, the collective efforts of Canadians across the country enabled the firm to donate 20,000 shields to healthcare workers in those crucial first weeks

 Now, as schools across Canada prepare for various stages of re-opening, the Waterloo-based PPE manufacturer is ready to repay the gesture.

In preparation for Canadian teachers’ return to the classroom, The Canadian Shield is donating 750,000 reusable face shields to provincial and territorial governments across Canada. The shields will be distributed by the public sector to protect teachers and educators from potential exposure to COVID-19 and similar health risks.

With hundreds of thousands of educators and students preparing to return to the classroom, Canada’s PPE supply will soon be put to the test. Thankfully, the InkSmith spin-off is no stranger to this challenge, having been instrumental in establishing Canada’s initial response to PPE supply chain shortages.

Related: Federal Government Orders 10 Million Face Shields from AC Grad InkSmith

When announcing the donation, the Waterloo-based startup emphasized the pivotal role the education sector and government has played in enabling its success:

“We would not be where we are today if it weren’t for the help of school boards across Ontario and organizations across Canada, who helped us 3D print face shield components in our early days,”

Jeremy Hedges, President of The Canadian Shield

“This is our way of giving back to the community and supporting Canadian educators.”

Founded by InkSmith, a graduate of the Accelerator Centre and specialist in 21-century learning technologies, the PPE manufacturer has its roots in education. At the onset of the pandemic, the edutech firm pivoted to produce much-needed PPE supplies for the country. Since then, its spin-off ‘The Canadian Shield’ has hit numerous milestones, now averaging 200,000 face shields a day with plans to further expand its PPE catalog.

“We have invested heavily in PPE manufacturing and established reliable supply chains across Canada to ensure our nation is self-sustaining and in a position to combat any future global health crisis,” said Hedges. “Our days of relying on global supply chains are over. We are proud to be part of what we see as a ‘Made in Canada’ movement.” The company currently offers face shields, reusable cloth masks, and disposable procedural masks, with additional PPE products in the works. 

“While provinces and territories across the country are in the midst of determining a viable model to facilitate a return to in-class instruction The Canadian Shield remains committed to ensuring the protection of students and teachers during this pivotal transition,” said Hedges.