Timmins Chamber ready to re-stock businesses with rapid antigen screening kits to test for COVID symptoms
Officials with the Timmins Chamber of Commerce say they have a fresh supply of rapid antigen screening kits available to businesses throughout the region with less than one-hundred and fifty employees.
Since May, Rob Knox, the Chamber president said over fifty-thousand tests to approximately three-hundred and twenty-five businesses have been distributed, including to places such as Matheson and Moosonee.
“And in that time there’s been at least a dozen positive tests that have allowed businesses to react and pivot and work safely and we think overall it’s been a great success," he said.
Lisa Tremblay, an owner at Discover Fitness-Discover Performance said the test kits give her peace of mind.
“You know that safer that you can be the better it is right? Small business has suffered tremendously throughout COVID and closures. Any little extra step that we can do as a business to try and keep COVID out or at bay is a plus and the fact that the Chamber provided this initiative is fantastic.
Knox said the kits containing around two dozen nasal testing swabs, are four-hundred dollars, but businesses don't have to pay for them. He said the cost is primarily shouldered by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and local chambers and sponsors.
“Given the cost of the testing might have proved onerous for a small business and they may have gone without testing so ... the Chamber believes this is a prudent thing to do to help small businesses and also to prevent further spreading of the virus.”
Business owners can request kits from the Chamber. They are required to assign a screening supervisor to take care of the testing and submitting results to the Chamber who forwards those to health officials.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
U.S. schools turn to artificial intelligence to spot guns as companies press lawmakers for state funds
Kansas could soon offer up to US$5 million in grants for schools to outfit surveillance cameras with artificial intelligence systems that can spot people carrying guns. But the governor needs to approve the expenditures and the schools must meet some very specific criteria.
Air quality advisories issued in 5 provinces, 1 territory
Air quality advisories are in effect across Western Canada as smoky conditions plague some areas, according to the latest forecasts. Here's where.
Just how bad are ultraprocessed foods? Here are 5 things to know
Many foods fall under the category of ultraprocessed foods, depending on their exact ingredients. This type of food has been studied a lot lately, and the results aren’t great.
No refund for travellers who cancelled flight already scrapped by airline: regulator
Four years on, the controversy over whether airlines owed refunds to passengers after cancelling hundreds of thousands of flights during the pandemic continues to simmer, aggravated by a sluggish, opaque complaints process.
opinion Harry and Meghan's Nigerian adventure: traditional attire to warm welcomes
For her latest column on CTVNews.ca, royal commentator Afua Hagan writes about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's recent visit to Nigeria, calling it a 'deeply meaningful campaign' that was about aligning their ongoing efforts to foster mental-health awareness and promoting the Invictus Games.
'Oh my God, you're my brother': Man in his 70s discovers 6 unknown siblings
After receiving a DNA kit one Christmas from his son-in-law, Hugh McCormick soon discovered that he had six unknown siblings, with whom he shared the same birth parents.
'It happened so fast': Evacuees describe fleeing Fort Nelson, B.C., wildfire
Thousands have been forced to flee a wildfire burning near Fort Nelson. Meanwhile, some experienced volunteers are staying behind to fight the fire.
Rates of cancer declining in Canada, but more work needed to save lives: projections
A new study projecting declining rates of cancer cases and deaths in Canada demonstrates the success of prevention and early detection programs, but also highlights areas where more work is needed to save and prolong lives, researchers say.
DEVELOPING Michael Cohen takes the stand as testimony in Trump hush money case enters 4th week
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial is set to take the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.