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A note regarding our preparations for dealing with COVID-19

A note regarding our preparations for dealing with COVID-19

Charities and nonprofits are on the front lines of dealing with the current COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, and we at Imagine Canada are prepared to support you through our research, advocacy,  services, and programs.

This note outlines the major steps we are taking to ensure that we can continue to do so. We are implementing a number of business continuity steps organization-wide, as well as taking any relevant additional steps to secure the services that you rely upon.

As an organization, we have taken the following steps:

  • Remote work.  Our staff team in three cities has robust remote work capabilities, as most staff have routinely worked from home for the past several years. At this time, all staff are being encouraged to do so whenever possible.

  • Distributed systems.  Essentially all of our major IT systems are distributed/cloud based, and available to staff as needed from their remote locations. We have reviewed the readiness of our primary IT infrastructure support supplier to ensure their prudent planning and business continuity readiness.

  • Travel.  All non-essential staff and volunteer travel has been cancelled until further notice. 

  • Staff wellbeing. Some staff are supporting or assisting at-risk family members, whether young or old, and we are being flexible to support whatever arrangements they need to make.  We take our staff’s physical and mental health seriously, and have made available resources through our health benefits and employee assistance program to provide whatever support we can. We are also redeploying staff as needed to ensure the continuity of Mission-critical activities.

We have also taken programmatic steps, which have included but is not limited to postponing our annual Hill Day, providing a deadline extension for accreditation applications, and hosting forums to discuss the effect of the outbreak with sector peers. If you have any specific questions about a program or activity, please be in touch with your usual Imagine Canada staff team contact.

Please be assured that we will continue to take whatever steps are prudent and appropriate as circumstances change. 

We thank you for the important work you are doing during these challenging and uncertain times.  We wish you, your families and your communities good health.

Bruce MacDonald

President & CEO