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Letter: Bulkley Nechako residents are feeling abandoned

Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako chair says more help needed for wildfire victims
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Editor,

Open letter sent Oct. 19 to Conrad Suave, president & CEO Canadian Red Cross:

RE: Red Cross Wildfire Relief Unused Funding Return.

In 2017, the Province of B.C. donated $100 million to the Canadian Red Cross. With private donations the Red Cross had approximately $162 million to spend on Wildfire Relief efforts. In 2017 the Red Cross provided the following support to those impacted by wildfires:

-$600.00 per family for every two weeks they were evacuated;

-financial support to assist in residents returning home following evacuation;

-fridge / freezer replacement or funding towards replacement;

-support for small business.

According to the 2017-2018 Red Cross Annual Report, the Red Cross has spent $70.3 million of the $160 million raised for 2017 wildfire relief efforts. As per the annual report, $48.7 million was allocated to individuals and families to assist the 2017 recovery. The Community Partnership Program provided $4.9 million for community recovery projects and $15.7 million was provided in support of small business.

This year the Province will be donating approximately $600,000 to the Red Cross in support of B.C. residents impacted by wildfires. With private donations it is our understanding that the Red Cross has approximately $2 million to spend on wildfire relief efforts in 2018. The discrepancy between the financial support available to B.C. residents impacted by wildfires in 2017 and 2018 is significant. As a result Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako (RDBN) residents are facing critical wildfire recovery issues with limited assistance from the Province or the Red Cross in 2018.

Many of the residents impacted by the wildfires in the RDBN do not have insurance because of its limited availability, and its cost, in rural areas. Few of these residents have the capacity to independently recover from the impacts of wildfire, and the capacity of the community and volunteers to assist is limited. Our residents are struggling with recovery. Primary dwellings were lost with no insurance coverage; fire damaged and dangerous trees threaten safety; fridges and freezers that were ruined by spoiled foods need replacement; residents lost their winters food supply; firewood (the primary heat source) is severely limited; power poles and associated infrastructure must be replaced on private property; non-commercial farmers lost fencing and are suffering from a feed shortage; there are multiple miscellaneous costs associated with making properties livable; and there is notable economic loss to households and businesses.

It has come to the RDBN’s attention that the Red Cross is currently working with the BC Fire Chief’s Association, and the Office of the Fire Commissioner (OFC), to provide $7 million of the unspent 2017 funds for future training and equipment purchase. The RDBN Board is extremely concerned that the unspent 2017 wildfire relief funds are accessible by the BC Fire Chiefs Association, but are not being made available to address the critically underfunded recovery needs of RDBN residents.

A very small portion of the unspent 2017 Red Cross funds would make a notable difference in the lives of RDBN residents impacted by the 2018 wildfires, and would result in RDBN residents being given the same consideration as B.C. residents in 2017.

RDBN residents are feeling abandoned. The RDBN Board respectfully requests that the Red Cross work with the Province of BC to allocate the funding necessary to adequately address our residents’ recovery needs, and apply the same standard of support made available to B.C. residents in 2017.

Bill Miller

RDBN Board Chair

CC: Honourable Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General

Gavin Giles, Chair of the Board, Canadian Red Cross