SPOTLIGHT
Lending a hand when disaster strikes
The year 2021 was challenging for many British Columbia residents, including many of our own clients and team members. A heat dome engulfed the province in late June, leading to one of the top three worst wildfire seasons in B.C. on record, in terms of area burned. In November, catastrophic floods hit the Fraser Valley, the heart of the province’s agricultural sector, devastating many residents, farms, and businesses, and temporarily cutting off many of the most populated areas from land access with the rest of Canada.
MNP has a long history of supporting the communities we call home — but these circumstances demanded more. The community was hit hard, and we were there to assist the recovery process.
Stepping up throughout wildfire season
What made the 2021 B.C. wildfires so severe was not only their size and scope, but also their proximity to residential areas.
Thousands of British Columbians were displaced from their homes, and nearby communities quickly reached capacity, with hotels fully booked and limited resources available for people forced to leave. Some families had to evacuate multiple times throughout the summer, as evacuation centres were impacted themselves by dangerous local wildfires.
“Even if you weren’t directly in harm’s way, the whole province was going through this disaster together,” says Trina Warren, Regional Managing Partner for MNP Thompson-Okanagan. “It was inspiring to see the community come together and help those who lost so much, and we were proud to be a part of that.”
As the impact of the wildfires became clearer, the MNP Kelowna team hosted an online fundraising auction, raising over $6,800 to support the B.C. Wildfire Recovery efforts. The Wildfire Recovery Fund was established by the United Way in the summer of 2021 following a record-breaking heatwave in Lytton. The subsequent fire destroyed 90 percent of the village and claimed the lives of two people.
United Way, in partnership with the Red Cross, provided much-needed support to impacted communities and individuals in the following areas: food and basic needs, child care, after-school programs, mental health support, counseling, wildfire education, and advocacy.
Our Kamloops region also led a donations drive for the SCPA to support displaced pets during the fires. They collected over 70 items of food, supplies and toys.
Supporting neighbours during the Fraser Valley floods
The flooding in Fraser Valley left destruction in its wake on a scale rarely seen in Canada. Despite this being a localized event, the impact was felt Canada-wide and received national publicity and attention. It left a large emotional and economic toll, especially for local farmers who had to salvage what they could of their crops, property, equipment, and even their livestock.
“MNP is heavily involved in the agricultural industry in B.C., so this event held particular meaning and urgency for us,” said Lee Bass, Regional Managing Partner for MNP Fraser Valley. “It wasn’t just our clients that needed our help, it was our neighbours, our whole community.”
To help raise funds for those impacted by the devastating floods in the Fraser Valley in 2021, our regional MNP family pulled together and set up a fundraiser via Canada Helps. We asked team members as well as others in the greater community to donate what they could to the charities providing direct assistance to those affected by the floods. The site raised almost $50,000 in the aftermath of the crisis. This is in addition to the $30,000 raised by the MNP Fraser Valley partnership group for flood relief support.
In conjunction with these fundraising efforts, Abbotsford partners Leslie McConnell and Ryan Calder purchased and delivered items to Crossroads Dairy, an MNP client who has been collecting greatly needed items for residents experiencing flood damage and loss in the Sumas Valley area.
“We had a positive response when we asked the MNP team for help —people wanted to contribute in big and small ways,” said Bass.