Linamar CEO leaves vaccine task force over travel
A prominent Ontario CEO has relinquished her position on the provincial task force set up to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine following an overseas trip.
“Today, Premier Ford accepted the resignation of Linda Hasenfratz as a member of Ontario’s COVID-19 Vaccination Distribution Task Force after it was brought to his attention that she travelled outside the country in December,” according to a statement from the premier’s office.
Hasenfratz is CEO of Linamar Corporation, a global autoparts manufacturer based in Guelph that was founded by her father, Frank Hasenfratz.
In a statement, she said she regretted her decision to travel over the holidays and had apologized to Ford as well as retired general Rick Hillier, who is heading Ontario’s vaccination efforts, and the other members of the task force.
“After speaking with General (Ret.) Rick Hillier and Premier
Doug Ford this afternoon, I have made the difficult decision to step aside from Ontario’s COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Task Force,” she said.
“While it is true that I travelled outside the country over the holidays, I followed all pandemic protocols of both countries and remain in quarantine today as public health guidelines require,” said Hasenfratz.
Linamar was recently in the news after the company announced it would double dividends to shareholders due to a jump in earnings last year, despite also collecting a federal wage subsidy.
Hasenfratz was named the Canadian Outstanding CEO in November 2018 and received the Order of Canada the same year.