TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Facedrive Inc. (“Facedrive”) (TSXV:FD) (OTCQX:FDVRF) , a Canadian “people-and-planet first” tech ecosystem, is honored to announce that TraceSCAN, Facedrive Health’s proprietary contact-tracing solution, has been endorsed by Labourers’ International Union of North America (“LiUNA”) for implementation across its construction sites. This endorsement comes on the heels of the Government of Ontario declaring an official state of emergency with additional measures of lockdown.
In response to a significant escalation in COVID-19 cases and the corresponding risk to the province’s emergency, hospital and long-term care systems, the Government of Ontario announced an official state of emergency and Stay-At-Home Order (the “Emergency Order”) on the advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Health (https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/59922/ontario-declares-second-provincial-emergency-to-address-covid-19-crisis-and-save-lives.)
In response to this, LiUNA, one of the largest labour unions in North America representing over 130,000 members across Canada predominantly in construction – including many men and women who have been deemed essential in the face of various stay-at-home emergency orders – has recommended implementing TraceSCAN, the Bluetooth powered wearable contact-tracing solution across its sites. LiUNA has recently carried out a pilot project with TraceSCAN and, following its successful completion, endorsed implementation of TraceSCAN across all its construction sites for the duration of the state of emergency and Emergency Order. LiUNA intends to continue implementing TraceSCAN across its worksites even after the Emergency Order is lifted as a means to continue providing a safe working environment for its members.
TraceSCAN is powered by cutting-edge Bluetooth technology which enables the device to work as an independent wearable product or in conjunction with mobile-only solutions such as the Government of Canada’s COVID Alert app. As such, TraceSCAN is especially suited for work environments where employees are unable to carry cell phones in the work sites. Developed jointly by Facedrive Health and a group of researchers from the University of Waterloo, TraceSCAN had received an endorsement from the Government of Ontario and rapidly expanded its use case scenarios into multiple business sectors such as construction, recreation, travel, food processing and other industries following spiking demand for multifunctional connected health solutions.
“The rapid growth in the numbers of COVID-19 cases has led to drastic yet necessary measures by the Government of Ontario. While certain construction sites shall remain open during the State of Emergency, it is essential that safety of all workers servicing these sites, as well as safety of their families, remains our highest priority. It is an honor for us to have our solution endorsed by LiUNA, one of the largest unions in North America,” said Sayan Navaratnam, Chairman and CEO of Facedrive. “Our teams are working tirelessly to satisfy the demand for our contact-tracing solution and ensure that all interested construction sites can avail of the TraceSCAN devices and surrounding infrastructure without delays. As an ESG technology platform, we are very pleased to do our part in helping Canadian workers and citizens in these challenging circumstances,” added Navaratnam.
"The Ontario government has taken the difficult but prudent decision to issue a State of Emergency and mandated that essential services such as construction may remain operational provided the implementation of safety precautions,” said Joseph Mancinelli, International Vice President and Regional Manager of Central and Eastern Canada at LiUNA. “We have found TraceSCAN to be a remarkably effective tool of preventing the spread of the virus, determining the need for self-isolation and prompting social distancing among our staff. TraceSCAN’s Bluetooth powered wearable technology conveniently worn as wrist bands, pendants or key fobs is especially suited for work environments where employees are not able to access mobile devices. We are positive that by working together, we will come out of this pandemic stronger, more resilient and more united”.
LiUNA’s announcement from January 12, 2021, wherein it endorsed Facedrive’s TraceSCAN, can be found below:
“Today the Government of Ontario made the difficult, but prudent, decision to declare a State of Emergency, and Stay-at-Home Orders effective January 14th, 2021 to address the rapid progression of COVID19 across the province. This measure includes necessary inspections and the launch of the “Stay Safe All Day" campaign focusing on workplace inspections in areas of high transmission. This important decision is enacted for immediate, critical action, to flatten the curve and protect Ontarians in the collective fight against the virus.
The construction industry is an exemplary model for enhanced health and safety to protect the men and women who build and strengthen the Province of Ontario. LiUNA remains an active voice in amplifying concerns of workers on-site and working with the Ministry of Labour and all levels of government to address urgent needs to successfully roll out necessary improvements to sanitization, contact tracing and worksite health and safety protocols. From day one LiUNA maintained that if construction was deemed essential, worksites must make necessary improvements to respond to the virus whilst keeping all workers safe. Those who did not adhere, would face risk of shut down. This sentiment remains as we enter a new wave of additional lockdown measures. With the safety of workers at highest concern, the collaborative efforts between labour, government and industry are critical to the perseverance of the construction sector which has kept hundreds of thousands of men and women safely employed. Construction is the economic engine for the development and productivity of communities across the province. We continue to build essential infrastructure such as transit, healthcare, hydro, roads and many more, all of which our municipalities, province and country cannot function without, especially in the rise of a global health pandemic. LiUNA will continue working closely with Minister of Labour, Monte McNaughton, and all employer partners to ensure all worksites are adhering to heightened protocols to keep Ontario's workforce safe.
LiUNA's successful pilot project with TraceSCAN highlights the critical importance of wearable technology on construction sites to safely contact trace and mitigate risk of spread without disruption to productivity while keeping LiUNA Members and all workers on site safe. The Ontario-made contact tracing wearable technology solution is key to mitigating spread from the workplace to the home and protecting the families of LiUNA Members. We implore all active construction sites to engage in Contact Tracing wearables to further protect frontline workers across the province. Health and safety measures for frontline workers must also include mandatory PPE supplied by the employer, rapid testing end workpiece sanitization.
The health and safety of LiUNA members remains of paramount concern. A responsible and disciplined response of the industry to COVID19 must continue in full cooperation with labour and government to ensure that the health and safety of all workers remains at the center of all decision making.
It is up to us Brothers and Sisters. It is up to each and every one of us to enact change and we must continue to lead by example end remain united as we work together to rebuild a stronger, safer tomorrow. We will continue to hold accountable any worksite that is not adhering to stringent protocols. Complacency will not be tolerated. As an Industry we must remain vigilant in the fight against COVID19 and combat the virus once and for all.”
About Facedrive
Facedrive is a multi-faceted “people-and-planet first” tech ecosystem offering socially-responsible services to local communities with a strong commitment to doing business fairly, equitably and sustainably. As part of this commitment, Facedrive’s vision is to fulfil its mandate through a number of verticals that either leverage existing technologies of the Company or project synergies with existing lines of business (the “Facedrive Verticals”). The Facedrive Verticals include its rideshare business (“Facedrive Rideshare”), sustainable e-commerce platform (“Facedrive Marketplace”), food-delivery service (“Facedrive Foods”), e-social platform (“Facedrive Social”) and its contact-tracing and sustainable health services business (“Facedrive Health”).
Facedrive Rideshare was among the first to offer a wide variety of environmentally and socially responsible solutions in the Transportation as a Service (TaaS) space, planting thousands of trees based on user consumption and offering choices between electric, hybrid and conventional vehicles (including, more recently, electric and hybrid vehicles on a subscription basis through Steer). Facedrive Marketplace offers curated merchandise created from sustainably sourced materials. Facedrive Foods offers contactless delivery of a wide variety of foods right to consumers’ doorsteps, with a focus on doing so in a socially and environmentally-conscious manner. Facedrive Social strives to keep people connected in a physically-distanced world through its HiQ and other e-socialization platforms that invite users to interact based on common interests and by offering gamification and mutual community support features. Facedrive Health strives to develop and offer innovative technological solutions to the most acute health challenges including its proprietary TraceSCAN wearable technology for contact tracing. Facedrive envisions changing the ridesharing, food delivery, e-commerce, social and health tech narratives for the better, for everyone, and is currently operational in Canada and the United States.
For more about Facedrive, visit www.facedrive.com.
About LiUNA
Over half a million members strong across North America, LiUNA – the Labourers’ International Union of North America – is a powerhouse of highly-skilled men and women who proudly build stronger communities across various sectors, predominantly in construction. Representing 130,000 + members in Canada, LiUNA continues to be a leading advocate for workplace health and safety. United through collective bargaining agreements, LiUNA members earn competing wages, good benefits and the opportunity for advancement and better futures. LiUNA members are a skilled and experienced union workforce trained to work safely in the construction industry as well as other sectors. From roads to bridges, tunnels to high-rises, building essential transit and healthcare infrastructure, the highly skilled, diverse members of LiUNA build stronger, prosperous communities from the ground up and are essential to our country’s economic development and advancement.
For more about LiUNA, visit www.LiUNA.ca
Facedrive Inc.
100 Consilium Pl, Unit 104, Scarborough, ON, Canada M1H 3E3
Forward-Looking Information
Certain information in this press release contains forward-looking information. This information is based on management’s reasonable assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to us and are made as of the date of this press release. Actual results (such as the success of any pilots or final adoption of TraceSCAN by various organizations or agencies) and the timing of events may differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking information as a result of various factors. Information regarding our expectations of future results, performance, achievements, prospects or opportunities or the markets in which we operate is forward-looking information. Statements containing forward-looking information are not facts but instead represent management’s expectations, estimates and projections regarding future events or circumstances. Many factors could cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements or future events or developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.
See “Forward-Looking Information” and “Risk Factors” in Facedrive’s Filing Statement dated August 28, 2019 for a discussion of the uncertainties, risks and assumptions associated with these statements. Readers are urged to consider the uncertainties, risks and assumptions carefully in evaluating the forward-looking information and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such information. We have no intention and undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities law.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
