As we are sure all of you are doing in your businesses and personal lives, the OEN is continuing to monitor and respond to the evolving COVID-19 situation. The Ontario Energy Network is extremely proud of our many members, industry friends and supporters, since virtually all of you are involved in some way in providing essential services – congratulations and thanks everyone!
In response to the present situation and current guidelines on social distancing, two of our popular industry gatherings have been rescheduled to the fall. The OEN Charity Golf Tournament, once again benefitting the Ross Tilley Burn Centre at Sunnybrook Hospital, will now be held on September 24, and our “OEN at Woodbine” evening will be on October 21. At this time we have not scheduled any speaker luncheons, but rest assured we will be actively monitoring public health advice and looking to return to providing the valued networking opportunities for which OEN is known.
The current environment is placing higher demand on mental health services, and we are very pleased to inform everyone that OEN has contributed $3,000 to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health on behalf of our members. Our donation to CAMH was given a boost by proceeds from our first OEN Ski Day for Mental Health and our sponsors for that event Anixter, Burman Energy and MindBeacon. CAMH has expressed their gratitude, noting that our donation has helped support a new comprehensive hub of information, tools and resources specific to mental health during the ongoing COVID-19 situation. The CAMH hub is being updated on a regular basis and it contains information about coping with stress and anxiety, maintaining mental wellness during a time of uncertainty, tips on how to talk to children about COVID-19, dealing with isolation, and more. If you are interested, you can check out the CAMH
COVID-19 information hub at:
https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-health-and-covid-19
Finally, thanks to everyone that has continued to support OEN through membership. This year has already proven challenging, and we believe the importance of a pure networking organization like OEN will become even more apparent as we move through and beyond the current health crisis.
Best wishes everyone – and stay safe!
John Loucks
President & CEO
Ontario Energy Network