Western Canadian construction industry donates to Fiona’s victims

VANCOUVER – British Columbia labourer’s union LIUNA Local 1611 is donating $20,000 to the Canadian Red Cross to assist victims of Hurricane Fiona.

The union said in a news release it chose to support the Red Cross’s Hurricane Fiona appeal for several reasons including the federal government’s commitment to matching all donations made before Oct. 23, as well as the fact that “close to 200 of Local 1611’s more than 9,000 members live in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland and Labrador.”

“Hurricane Fiona has devastated parts of Atlantic Canada and our hearts go out to the people who have been impacted. Some people have lost everything, and we want to do what we can to help them,” LIUNA business manager/secretary-treasurer Nav Malhotra said in a statement.

“People in our sector travel where the work is, and right now the work is in British Columbia,” says Malhotra. “We have lots of members working on major construction projects who actually live in the Maritimes.”

The Calgary Construction Association has also donated $25,000 to the Red Cross appeal, and RJC Engineers recently donated $10,000.

Canadians wishing to make a financial donation to help those impacted by Hurricane Fiona can do so online at www.redcross.ca, by calling 1-800-418-1111, or by texting FIONA to 20222 to make a $10 donation.