Albertans show generosity to victims of B.C. wildfires


While listening to Shane Woodford's excellent Inside Politics show on Kamloops' CHNL radio station this morning, I was struck by something on the station's newscast.
Five trucks with relief supplies for people affected by wildfires in the B.C. Interior are being unloaded today in Kamloops. This follows other loads of supplies which came earlier this week from our neighbours to the east, including a load of supplies that went to the Kamloops Food Bank specifically for displaced fire victims. That truckload came from Fort McMurray, which was hit by a severe fire last year which destroyed thousands of homes.
The latest loads are also going to the Food Bank.
Displaced people in Prince George are also getting assistance from others. There are 6,029 displaced people (4,811 adults and 1,218 children) in Prince George who have registered at the emergency reception centre at the College of New Caledonia. Thus far, the city has distributed roughly $458,000 in grocery vouchers, according to the Prince George Daily News website.
Albertans are showing a lot of generosity to B.C. residents, which is particularly noteworthy considering that the employment situation in that province is far from rosy.
I may have missed it, but to the best of my knowledge, no truckloads of supplies have been sent from Vancouver or the Lower Mainland to the 14,000 or so people displaced by fires thus far. Many B.C. businesses are collecting funds for victims, including Save-On Foods and White Spot.

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