Today, Mayor John Tory announced that the City of Toronto, in partnership with the Governments of Canada and Ontario, has helped bring a new vaccine manufacturing facility to Toronto. The new Sanofi facility will be located on their existing site at 1755 Steeles Ave. W. in North York.
This new facility will strengthen Canada’s domestic vaccine manufacturing capacity and future pandemic preparedness efforts. After design, construction, testing and qualification of the new facility and its equipment, it is expected to be operational by 2026.
Through the City’s Gold Star program, the municipal government will help Sanofi navigate and expedite the development review and approval process for this important new facility.
The new facility may also be eligible for Toronto’s Imagination, Manufacturing, Innovation and Technology (IMIT) Financial Incentive Program, which provides grants to support new construction in targeted employment sectors, including biomedical operations and manufacturing.
Currently, Sanofi’s Toronto Site produces millions of doses annually of life-saving vaccines (e.g. against whooping cough, polio, diphtheria and tetanus, among others) to more than 60 countries worldwide – including Canada – and employs 1,500 individuals in industrial affairs, commercial operations and research and development. With this new investment, Sanofi will continue to invest in research and development, create a combination of 300 new indirect and direct jobs, and maintain their strong biomanufacturing footprint and highly skilled jobs in Canada.
The establishment of a new end-to-end influenza vaccine production facility in Toronto will help to enhance the health of Canadians and secure priority access to domestically manufactured vaccine supply, while providing employment opportunities for residents and adding to the fast-growing health and life sciences sector in the Toronto region.
Quotes:
“The expansion of Sanofi’s Toronto site is a testament to the strength of Toronto’s medical and healthcare sector and the role that our city will play in preparing our country for future emergencies. This new vaccine manufacturing facility in Toronto will not only give confidence to Canadians that work is underway to address the ongoing need for vaccines now and in the future, but that Toronto is a city in which businesses can grow and thrive. Today’s announcement is another example of the work that we can do when all levels of government work together to address the challenges that we are facing. I want to thank our federal and provincial partners for working with us on bringing this new site to fruition and for helping us create an environment that will ensure Sanofi is welcomed and can succeed.”
– Mayor John Tory
“Today’s announcement demonstrates Canada’s ability to attract foreign investments and to develop facilities with made-in-Canada solutions. This once-in-a-generation investment shows our government’s commitment to rebuilding Canada’s domestic biomanufacturing sector, focusing on both short-term strategic solutions and a long-term vision. By investing in this project, our government is helping to keep expertise in Canada, creating and maintaining highly skilled jobs and securing the health and safety of Canadians. By fostering an environment where companies can invest and grow, leading life sciences firms like Sanofi are increasingly looking to Canada to establish their manufacturing facilities”
– The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
“The City values Sanofi’s presence as a major employer and contributor to our world class life sciences sector. Partnerships like this will not only help our economy recover from the current COVID-19 pandemic, it will establish a more reliable and responsive domestic source of vaccines long into the future.”
– Deputy Mayor Michael Thompson (Scarborough Centre), Chair of the Economic and Community Development Committee
“Sanofi’s Toronto site is a source of life-saving vaccines as well as highly-skilled and well-remunerated jobs for our local community and city. Sanofi’s head office in Paris looks to the Toronto site as a leader in vaccine manufacturing among its worldwide family of sites. The leadership at the site continues to respect the local neighbourhood while saving lives around the world. The City of Toronto’s support, along with our partners at the Federal and Provincial level, will help to ensure that this important life sciences company remains invested in Toronto.”
– Councillor James Pasternak (York Centre)
“Today, we are delighted to announce another historic and strategic biomanufacturing investment at Sanofi’s Toronto Site. Having this new vaccine manufacturing facility in Toronto means we will continue to grow and develop our Canadian biotech talent while also strengthening our domestic vaccine capabilities and know-how. This investment significantly helps to solidify Canada’s biomanufacturing footprint, and would not have been possible without Sanofi’s leadership, investment from government partners and strong collaboration with the outstanding City of Toronto.”
– Fabien Marino, Vice President Industrial Affairs and Toronto Site Head, Sanofi Pasteur Canada
SOURCE City of Toronto
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