As thousands of Canadians grapple with flooding throughout Quebec and New Brunswick, Air Canada has stepped up to help GlobalMedic deliver aid to those in need.
GlobalMedic provides emergency relief to those affected by natural disasters and other emergencies. With the help of Air Canada, it has been distributing family clean up kits and hygiene kits in the two provinces.
During the week of April 21, pre-assembled clean up kits, put together by GlobalMedic volunteers, were shipped to Quebec City with Air Canada Cargo and one employee, who is part of Air Canada’s Special Assistance Team, delivered more than 160 kits to Sainte-Marie, which is heavily affect by floodwater. Another 150 female hygiene kits were also delivered.
A similar initiative was organized for New Brunswick, where material for the kits has been shipped to the Saint John Airport. Once on the ground, local Air Canada employees will assemble 300 kits for distribution to affected areas with the help of paramedics.
The Air Canada Foundation made a $50,000 donation to the Canadian Red Cross Flood Appeal, and 40 Foundation and SAT volunteers are working with GlobalMedic members to help flood victims in the Montréal region by packaging and delivering kits to drop-off locations in Pierrefonds-Roxboro and Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac.
Supplies have also been shipped out of Toronto on short notice as the Ottawa River continues to rise. Fire officials in Pontiac, Québec, have picked up more than 100 kits for local residents.
Air Canada and Air Canada Cargo have partnered with GlobalMedic on other natural disasters, notably in 2017 to deliver materials to the Caribbean after hurricanes and to Mexico after the country was struck by earthquakes.
During the major flooding in Quebec and other parts of Canada in 2017, the Air Canada Foundation made a $50,000 donation to the Red Cross ($25,000 for Quebec and $25,000 for the rest of Canada)
In 2018, after tornadoes struck the Ottawa-Gatineau area, the Air Canada Foundation made a $25,000 donation to the Red Cross.
