

This is a time when Canada must harness its community-driven resilience. We’re asking you to share examples of how Canadian communities are responding to the crisis with creativity and imagination. Collective problem-solving and collaboration will be instrumental in how Canada mitigates the local impacts of COVID-19 and creates on-the-ground solutions.
Highlighted Initiatives
‘Not Amazon’ is a website of (mostly) user-submitted small businesses to support across 4 Canadian cities and growing
The site operates like an online mall directory of exclusively independent businesses throughout the cities and online. Currently featuring thousands of shops in Toronto, Halifax, Calgary and Vancouver. It is free to submit a local business. You can search or just browse around by category: handmade, spirits, coffee & tea, stationery, music, home decor, vintage and more. Black and Indigenous-owned businesses and businesses owned by people of colour and people with disabilities are featured.
Next for Not-Amazon is to expand to more cities. People from other cities in Canada have volunteered to collect initial lists of businesses, which the website will then convert into the Not-Amazon website. Hamilton and Ottawa are next.
Portland children’s clinic creates ‘panic free guide’ for parents with children
Brave Care clinic in Portland, Oregan US provides COVID-19 Symptom Checker for children, scenarios for kids of all ages, and actionable advice for seeking care based on symptoms recorded.
City of Montreal announces support measures for small businesses
The supports include postponement of municipal taxes; emergency financial assistance; a moratorium on capital and interest; and the establishment of other city programs
University of Michigan releases resource for adjusting study habits during COVID-19
University of Michigan’s Center for Academic Innovation releases guide to help students adjust to studying during COVID-19.
Solution Journalism Network shares resources for reporting about what’s working
The Solution Journalism Network is:
- Sharing stories about what’s working
- Setting up a Slack channel for journalists to ask questions and discuss ideas with each other.
- Planning a webinar on how to cover the coronavirus pandemic through a solutions lens.
- Soliciting ideas for solutions stories tied to the pandemic. If they meet the criteria of solutions journalism, we’ll share them with our network of journalists.
- Collecting solutions stories on the coronavirus, which you can find in our Solutions Story Tracker.
Montreal group creates weekly online space for conversation about grief and loss related to COVID-19
ORA Loss and Living Program is hosting a weekly online space for conversation about the grief and loss associated with coronavirus/COVID-19, including the impacts of social distancing, self-isolation and quarantine.
Design company launches Live Stream Local initiative to connect people to virtual performances and support local artists
With the cancellation of many live music concerts, Action! By Design’s new Live Stream Local initiative virtually connects people to musicians and other creatives, and offers ways to tip them.
Illustrators create virtual resources and free classes
Illustrators have stepped up to create virtual resources and free classes for kids, parents, and anyone else who needs a creative break in the midst of the pandemic.
Online collaboration company creates website to show countries around the world in lockdown
Videoconferencing company Vectera creates website showing lockdown status of countries around the world.
Grassroots disaster relief network publishes zine on safety practices for mutual aid food and supply distribution
Mutual Aid Disaster Relief has published a US-based resource for MUTUAL AID FOOD & SUPPLY DISTRIBUTION during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Independent US clothing retailer launches fundraiser for factory to make surgical masks
Independent US clothing retailer Princess Awesome Boy Wonder launched a campaign to fund seamstresses in their Chicago factory to produce surgical masks at home during the COVID-19 closures.
Harm reduction coalition publishes COVID-19 guidelines for people who use drugs and harm reduction programs
Resources are available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
List of collective intelligence tools being used to respond to COVID-19
Collective intelligence is the enhanced capacity created when distributed groups of people work together, often with the help of technology, to mobilise more information, ideas and insights to solve a problem.
Restaurants in Minneapolis offer free lunches to children during school closures
Many children rely on school lunches to stay fed during the day, and with the announcement that schools will be closing, several restaurants have said they will give free lunches to any students who need them while they’re home from school.
US academics create remote learning platform to connect students across the US
Youth Remote Learning looks to connect students across the United States with free online courses that will help to promote intellectual curiosity in an online platform.
San Diego County schools provide free meals for students during COVID-19 closures
San Diego County schools provide free meals for students during COVID-19 closures. The meals are federally funded through a USDA program that serves low income families throughout the school year.
US Interagency Council on Homelessness creates list of resources for homelessness service systems during COVID-19
The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness has a list of resources that can be used by homelessness services systems in response to COVID-19.
UK digital agency helps to bring cultural content into audiences’ homes
In response to COVID-19, UK-base digital agency The Space is to helping to bring cultural content into audiences’ homes and supporting the creative teams who have made this work.
National Association of School Psychologists releases resource for talking to children about COVID-19
Talking to Children About COVID-19 (Coronavirus) offers advice, guidelines, and resources for parents.
Vendors in Portland Oregon launch initiative to share COVID-19 information with people experiencing homelessness.
Vendors in Portland Oregon launch the Coronavirus Action Team, an initiative to get information about COVID-19 to people experiencing homelessness. Vendors are paid a stipend to check on each other, dispel myths about the virus & explain health dept guidance
UK’s Creative Review creates guide for creative support during COVID-19
Creatives and companies the world over are offering help and support during the Covid-19 pandemic. Creative Review has compiled a list of what’s available right now, which will be updated regularly.
China creates national cloud learning platform and broadcasts primary school classes on public television
China launched a national cloud learning platform during the outbreak to provide learning materials for students in junior and senior high school. The e-learning platform is meant to provide resources for students but not to replace classroom learning. At the same time, classes for primary school students were broadcast on state-broadcaster CCTV’s China Education Television Channel 4.
Norwegian prime minister holds press conference on coronavirus for children
Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg told the country’s children in a televised news conference that it was OK to feel scared during the “special days” of the coronavirus outbreak.
FEANTSA prescribes key priorities for addressing COVID-19 for people experiencing homelessness
FEANTSA (European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless) prescribes key priorities for addressing COVID-19 for people experiencing homelessness.
Playwrights Guild of Canada is livestreaming 10-minute readings across Canada
The Playwrights Guild of Canada is doing a Play Reading Relay, where 29 playwrights will livestream 10 minute readings from their plays over a 7-hour day.
Crowdsourced resource for technologists
The Coronavirus Tech Handbook provides a space for technologists, civic organisations, public & private institutions, researchers and specialists of all kinds to collaborate on a rapid and sophisticated response to the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent impacts. It is a quickly evolving resource with thousands of active expert contributors.
Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation release handbook on COVID-19 prevention and treatment based on clinical experience in China
Experts at the Zhejiang University School of Medicine treated 104 patients with confirmed COVID-19 in 50 days, and recorded their real treatment experience in a Handbook of COVID-19 Prevention and Treatment, offering practical advice and references with medical staff around the world. The handbook provides comprehensive guidelines and best practices by China’s top experts for coping with COVID-19.
Seattle business owners form Facebook group to offer each other support and resources
A Faceook Group for Seattle business owners offers place to share tips, promote services, and encourage the support of local businesses in the Puget Sound region.
Facebook group formed to evaluate, design, validate, and fabricate open source medical supplies around the world and creates open source medical supply guide
Open source medical supply guide, crowdsourced via Facebook (https://m.facebook.com/groups/670932227050506). Group formed to evaluate, design, validate & source fabrication of open source emergency medical supplies around the world but specific to locales
Georgetown University think tank creates evaluation tool for assessing local public health and response capacities
The Center for Global Health Science and Security at Georgetown University has created an evaluation tool – the Rapid Urban Health Security Assessment (RUHSA) – as a resource for assessing local-level public health preparedness and response capacities. The RUHSA draws from multiple guidance and evaluation tools. It was designed to support city decision-makers prioritize, strengthen and deploy strategies that promote urban health security.
European Commission releases ‘bottom-up’ call for startups and SMEs with innovations related to COVID-19 to apply for €164m fund
The European Commission calls for startups and SMEs with technologies and innovations that could help in treating, testing, monitoring or other aspects of the Coronavirus outbreak to apply to the next round of funding from the European Innovation Council (Mar 18 deadline). With a budget of €164m, this call is “bottom up”, meaning there are no predefined thematic priorities and applicants with Coronavirus relevant innovations will be evaluated in the same way as other applicants. The Commission will look to fast track the awarding of EIC grants and blended finance (combining grant and equity investment) to Coronavirus relevant innovations, as well as to facilitate access to other funding and investment sources.
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