VANCOUVER – As Canadians across the country continue to cope with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, Telus today announced it is expanding its support for low income families by automatically waiving all fees for the Telus Internet for Good program for two months, giving customers enrolled in the program access to high speed internet in their home at no cost for 60 days.
Currently more than 200,000 Canadian families, who receive the maximum Canada Child Benefit, qualify for Telus Internet for Good, which offers low cost monthly Internet service at $9.95 per month as well as access to a low cost computer and free digital literacy training, reads the press release. Telus Internet for Good was introduced in 2016.
“Reflecting Telus’ longstanding commitment to leveraging our technology, in combination with our culture of giving, to bridge social and economic digital divides, our team is working diligently – with their hearts and their hands – to keep our communities and customers connected throughout this unprecedented time in history,” said Darren Entwistle, president and CEO, in the press release. “By increasing our support for low-income Canadians through our Internet for Good program, we are helping families prioritize their well-being during this pandemic.”
The company also announced today $500,000 donation to the Vancouver Prostate Centre (VPC), Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) and University of British Columbia (UBC) Hospital Foundation to assist in their search for therapeutic antiviral treatments for Covid-19.
“Led by Professor Art Cherkasov, VPC and UBC scientists have joined forces with experts around the world including collaborations with Cambridge in the UK, Memorial Sloan-Kettering in New York, University of North Carolina Pharma Science, and Enamine, the biggest small molecule supplier in the world, in the Ukraine,” says the Telus press release.
“Telus’ generous support will fast track the ability to screen this shortlist and provide BC and global colleagues an enormous push towards developing an antiviral small molecule therapeutic for COVID-19 as quickly as possible,” said Dr. Larry Goldenberg, director of development at VPC and UBC Professor of Urologic Sciences.
“Research teams around the world are seeking development of vaccines, antibodies or protease inhibitors. The VPC’s cutting-edge platforms, highly developed for precision cancer drug discovery, have been rapidly repurposed to address today’s health crisis by shaving significant time off the process of finding a cure for Covid-19. VPC, with its expertise, facilities and capabilities in cutting edge Artificial Intelligence (AI), is poised to make a remarkable difference in the global race for an anti-protease treatment for Covid-19. Its unique AI system allowed for accelerated computerized screening of 1.3 billion chemicals to create a shortlist of 100 potential therapeutic compounds in one week, as opposed to conventional methods that could take up to three years,” says the release.
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