Three months after a wildfire tore through parts of Fort McMurray, forcing tens of thousands to evacuate, and destroying a number of homes, the province and federal government matched donations made to help relief efforts.
The Alberta government said it would donate $30.3 million, to match money donated by Albertans to Red Cross relief efforts for Fort McMurray.
Officials said the province’s contribution would go into three core areas: grants to local charitable, non-government and Indigenous organizations to support recovery of residents and the community, relief for small businesses, and post-disaster supports, such as funding for specific health initiatives and research to promote the well-being of residents.
“Today so much has changed already, and I see tremendous amount of progress in this community,” Minister Danielle Larivee said.
In addition, the federal government said it would contribute $104 million, to match donations made by Canadians to the Red Cross.
The Red Cross said with those added funds, donations to the relief effort totaled $299 million.
Of those funds, $146 million had already been spent, the Red Cross said.
With files from Breanna Karstens-Smith
