Category: 3. Business

Ottawa residents showed their tremendous support by giving to the 41^st OC Transpo / Loblaw Annual Holiday Food Drive held on Saturday, December 13. This is the largest annual, single-day grocery store food drive in Ottawa and has been supporting the Ottawa Food Bank since it began operating in 1984. The annual food drive raised almost 88,000 pounds of food and more than $26,500 for the Ottawa Food Bank and its network of 71 member agencies, and four other Ottawa region food banks. This year’s total is more than twice the weight of a 40-foot bus!

OC Transpo buses and volunteers were on site at several Loblaws, Real Canadian Superstore, Your Independent Grocer and No Frills locations in Ottawa to remind residents of the opportunity to donate. Residents donated food and made monetary donations at participating stores last Saturday. All the food items collected were delivered directly to the Ottawa Food Bank, the Stittsville Food Bank, the Richmond Food Bank, the Barrhaven Food Cupboard, and the Kanata Food Cupboard.

 

Quotes

“Visiting the stores and seeing so many Ottawa residents stepping up to donate food and support families in need was truly moving. It reminded me just how caring and generous this city is. A heartfelt thank you to every volunteer, to OC Transpo, and our partners at Loblaw and the Ottawa Food Bank. Together, you’re helping neighbours across Ottawa enjoy a brighter holiday season.”

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, City of Ottawa

 

“Local food banks are experiencing the highest demand in their history, with over one in four households in Ottawa struggling to afford enough to eat. From the very beginning, OC Transpo and Loblaw have played a vital role through their annual food drive. During this season of giving, it’s wonderful to see City of Ottawa staff and community members come together to make a meaningful difference for those in need.”

Councillor Glen Gower, Chair, Transit Commission

 

“The OC Transpo/Loblaw Holiday Food Drive is a yearly tradition that our store colleagues look forward to and are excited to support. As food retailers, with food insecurity continuing to rise, it is really important for us to support our community in the most meaningful way possible, to help put food on the table for those in need. A lot of work goes into this event and we want to thank our partners at the Ottawa Food Bank, OC Transpo, colleagues in our stores, and most importantly, the volunteers that gave up their day and our customers and community that always step up when our city needs it the most.”

Jeff Brierley, Store Manager, Brierley’s Independent Grocer

 

“Ottawa’s incredible generosity and support of the OC Transpo/Loblaw Holiday Food Drive helps neighbours across our city access nutritious food. With more than one in four households in Ottawa struggling to afford enough healthy food, your contributions are urgently needed and deeply appreciated. Those most at risk of hunger are families with children and individuals living alone. Thanks to your donations of food and funds, nearly 100 community food programs across Ottawa can provide these households with the nourishment they need.”

Rachael Wilson, CEO, Ottawa Food Bank

 

Quick Facts:

• The OC Transpo / Loblaw Annual Holiday Food Drive is Ottawa’s largest annual single-day grocery store food drive.
• Currently, over one in four households in Ottawa struggle to afford enough to eat.
• Annually, more than 588,000 visits are made to food programs across Ottawa – nearly a 101 per cent increase since 2019, and the highest level in the Ottawa Food Bank’s 41-year history.
• To date, this food drive has raised over three million pounds of food and thousands of dollars for Ottawa’s most vulnerable residents.
• The Ottawa Food Bank distributes nearly 8.3 million pounds of food; 43 per cent is fresh and includes items like fruit and vegetables, meat, dairy, bread and eggs.
• The Ottawa Food Bank works in partnership with a network of approximately 100 food programs that include community food banks, food cupboards, meal programs, kids’ summer nutrition programs, and after–school snack programs.
• 37 percent of food bank clients in Ottawa are children. 
• The OC Transpo / Loblaw Annual Holiday Food Drive collects for five local food banks: the Ottawa Food Bank, the Stittsville Food Bank, the Richmond Food Bank, the Barrhaven Food Cupboard and the Kanata Food Cupboard.                                                                                    

About Ottawa Food Bank

The Ottawa Food Bank is the main emergency food provider in the National Capital Region and has been serving the community since 1984. The Ottawa Food Bank works in partnership with a network of nearly 100 community food programs that include community food banks, food cupboards, meal programs, kids’ summer nutrition programs, and after-school snack programs. The Ottawa Food Bank network receives more than 588,000 visits for food support annually. Sadly, 37% of Ottawa Food Bank clients are children. With a focus on fresh, and thanks to the community’s support, nearly 8.3 million pounds of food is distributed from the 2001 Bantree Street warehouse each year.

 

For more information about OC Transpo, including updates and trip planning assistance, visit octranspo.com, use the Travel Planner, or call 613-560-5000. You can also connect with OC Transpo on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram.

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For more information on City programs and services, visit ottawa.ca, call 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401) or 613-580-2400 to contact the City using Canada Video Relay Service. You can also connect with us through Facebook, Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.

FOSTER CITY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) today announced an agreement with the U.S. government designed to reduce drug costs for Americans, reinforcing the company’s long-standing commitment to U.S.-based innovation, affordability, and global health leadership.

“This agreement reflects a foundational commitment to both affordability and future innovation, a commitment that we have long seen as essential to shaping the future of healthcare,” said Daniel O’Day, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Gilead Sciences. “The progress toward expanding access and increasing investment in U.S. innovation will meaningfully contribute to America’s health and economic priorities. Gilead Sciences will continue to work with the Administration in service of these priorities for the benefit of generations to come.”

As part of the three-year agreement, Gilead addresses all requests by President Trump to implement a new pricing strategy that prioritizes American patients, ensuring the U.S. no longer bears a disproportionate share of global healthcare costs. This includes:

• Discounts on certain existing medicines within the U.S. Medicaid program, similar to what is paid in comparably developed nations, including select medications to treat HIV, hepatitis C, hepatitis B and COVID-19.
• Pricing future medicines at parity with other key developed nations.
• Launching a Direct-to-Patient Program where individuals with a prescription can obtain Gilead’s hepatitis C treatment and cure, Epclusa ^®, at a discounted cash price. Gilead will make Epclusa available via TrumpRx.gov where American patients can be connected directly with Gilead’s Direct-to-Patient Program.
• An agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce to be exempt from Section 232 pharmaceutical tariffs for three years, provided Gilead further invests in manufacturing in the United States.

Based on these terms, the company expects the financial impact to be manageable in 2026 and beyond. Additional terms of the agreement with the U.S. government remain confidential.

This agreement reinforces America’s leadership in global health and biomedical innovation and builds upon Gilead’s recently announced landmark partnership with the U.S. Department of State to provide its breakthrough HIV prevention medicine, lenacapavir, at no profit to up to two million individuals in the most severely affected countries around the world over the next three years.

Gilead also recently announced it will invest $32 billion in U.S.-based manufacturing, R&D, and infrastructure over the next five years. This investment is projected to generate $43 billion in national economic value and create more than 3,000 direct and indirect jobs.

About Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company that has pursued and achieved breakthroughs in medicine for more than three decades, with the goal of creating a healthier world for all people. The company is committed to advancing innovative medicines to prevent and treat life-threatening diseases, including HIV, viral hepatitis, COVID-19, cancer, and inflammation. Gilead operates in more than 35 countries worldwide, with headquarters in Foster City, Calif.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, including the impact of the agreement with the U.S. government and the Direct-to-Patient Program on Gilead’s business, operations and financial condition and results; risks related to the ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the agreement with the U.S. government and the Direct-to-Patient Program, including that patient access and other expected benefits will not be realized or will not be realized within the expected time periods; the uncertainties inherent in research and development; the uncertainties inherent in business and financial planning, including, without limitation, risks related to Gilead’s business and prospects, manufacturing expansion and capabilities, adverse developments in Gilead’s markets or adverse developments in the U.S. or global capital markets, credit markets, regulatory environment or economies generally; risks and uncertainties related to issued or future executive orders or other new, or changes in, laws or regulations; and competitive developments; and any assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. These and other risks, uncertainties and factors are described in detail in Gilead’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2025, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. These risks, uncertainties and other factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those referred to in the forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. The reader is cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties and is cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to Gilead, and Gilead assumes no obligation and disclaims any intent to update any such forward-looking statements.

Epclusa^® is a trademark of Gilead Sciences, Inc. or its related companies and the full prescribing information is available at https://www.gilead.com/medicines.

Gilead and the Gilead logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies.

For more information about Gilead, please visit the company’s website at www.gilead.com, follow Gilead on X/Twitter (@Gilead Sciences) and LinkedIn (@Gilead-Sciences).

Source: Gilead Sciences, Inc.