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December 4, 2020 (Ottawa, ON) —Today, the Ontario government named CHEO’s Chief Pharmacist, Dr. Régis Vaillancourt, to the newly established Ministers' COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Task Force — a handpicked group of experts who will advise the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in Ontario.
"I want to see as many people get vaccinated as possible because vaccines save lives,” said Dr. Régis Vaillancourt, CHEO’s Chief Pharmacist. “A successful rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine is absolutely essential to protect our economy and our most valuable resource of all — our people.”
Dr. Vaillancourt is a retired Lieutenant Colonel with 25 years of military pharmacy and medical supply logistics experience. He is also past president of the Ontario College of Pharmacists, giving him a unique understanding of both hospital and community-based pharmacy practice.
“Dr. Vaillancourt is the go-to guy at CHEO and across our region when something needs to get done well and fast. I know he will be a valuable addition to the Ministers’ task force,” said Alex Munter, President and CEO, CHEO. “Collaboration is an essential part of CHEO’s mission to advance how children youth and families get care. We are happy to support pandemic efforts however we can and we look forward to celebrating Dr. Vaillancourt’s contributions to this essential working group.”
Rick Hillier, former Chief of Defence Staff for the Canadian Forces, has been selected to lead the task force. The task force will advise on:
- Delivery, storage and distribution of the vaccines;
- Support for health care system partners to deliver a phased vaccination program that initially prioritizes vulnerable populations and follows with mass immunization;
- Clinical guidance on vaccine administration and surveillance of vaccine uptake;
- Data,reporting, and technology to provide timely, relevant and accurate information to clinicians conducting vaccine administration, decision-makers, and the public; and
- Implementation of a broad and sustained public education and community outreach effort to encourage vaccination.
Dr. Vaillancourt will be joined on the task force by:
- Dr. Dirk Huyer, Ontario's Chief Coroner and Coordinator of Provincial Outbreak Response
- Dr. Homer Tien, trauma surgeon and President and CEO, Ornge
- Dr. Maxwell Smith, bioethicist and assistant professor, Western University
- Dr. Isaac Bogoch, infectious diseases consultant and internist, Toronto General Hospital
- Ontario Regional Chief RoseAnne Archibald of Taykwa Tagamou Nation
- Linda Hasenfratz, CEO, Linamar Corporation
- Angela Mondou, President and CEO, TECHNATION
- Mark Saunders, former Toronto Police Chief
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Media contact
Stephen Warner, Solicitor General’s Office
Stephen.Warner@ontario.ca
About CHEO
Based in Canada’s capital, CHEO is a globally renowned health institution with a mission to provide exceptional care and support to children, youth and their families. Opening our doors in 1974, we offer a full range of specialized pediatric care and services to children from eastern and northern Ontario, western Quebec and Nunavut. Our site is home to a hospital, a children’s treatment centre, a school, a research institute, and is affiliated with the University of Ottawa as an academic health science centre. Named Canada’s best health-care employer by Forbes in 2024, we are home to more than 6,500 staff, clinicians, scientists and researchers, as well as volunteers – all of whom work together to help children and youth achieve their best lives.