On Jun. 29, 2020, the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR) COVID-19 Research Response Fund announced funding to help mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on newcomers to BC, urban Indigenous people, frontline health-care workers, and those in prisons or precarious housing. The funded teams will conduct their research across the province, including the University of Victoria, Thompson Rivers University, Simon Fraser University, and the BC Centre for Disease Control.