Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and B.C. Premier John Horgan have announced a committee of federal and provincial ministers who will work together with Indigenous leadership to guide immediate and ongoing support to families, businesses and communities affected by the extreme weather in B.C. The committee will ensure those in the province have the immediate support and resources they need to deal with the challenges brought on by the extreme weather events. Both the BC government and the federal government will match every dollar donated to the Canadian Red Cross’ British Columbia Floods and Extreme Weather Appeal. That means every dollar donated will become $3 dollars to support residents affected by the floods. The donations will be matched for a period of 30 days and retroactively for donations received since the campaign began on November 17th.

Donations will go towards supporting a range of emergency services delivered by the Red Cross including providing cots, blankets and clean-up kits to communities, upon request from local communities.

Canada’s Minister of Emergency Preparedness, Bill Blair and Mike Farnworth, B.C.’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Public Safety will co-chair the new committee which will build on the Federal/Provincial Supply Chain Recovery Working Group which was created back on November 20th.