Last week, three Canadian ICMIF members, Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company, Desjardins Group and Gore Mutual Insurance Company, each announced donations to support disaster relief efforts in those communities in Atlantic Canada and Eastern Quebec affected by the extreme weather caused by Hurricane Fiona.
Wawanesa announced a CAD 150,000 donation to support emergency relief, which included: CAD 100,000 to the Canadian Red Cross for their Hurricane Fiona in Canada Appeal, providing emergency services such as interim housing, clothing, food, and other essential supplies to people in need; and CAD 50,000 to support a dollar-for-dollar donation matching program that is now open to insurance brokers, Wawanesa employees, and the public.
“Our entire Canadian operations are focused on helping the people and businesses we insure in Atlantic Canada and Eastern Quebec get the support available to them through their insurance policies with us,” said Carol Jardine, Wawanesa’s President of Canadian Property & Casualty Operations. “We know all too well the increasing toll of climate change and extreme weather on Canadians, and we are committed to helping our customers recover and rebuild in a way that makes us all more resilient.”
“The devastation caused by Hurricane Fiona has hit our friends and neighbours hard,” added Paul Faubert, Wawanesa’s Regional Vice President for Eastern Canada. “That’s why, in addition to providing emergency funds directly, we’ll match donations, dollar for dollar, from insurance brokers, our employees and the public.”
These emergency funds come as part of the nearly CAD 3.5 million Wawanesa committed to supporting community organisations across Canada and the United States in 2022. Wawanesa is also an active member of the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR) and supports insurance industry initiatives that raise awareness of the impacts of extreme weather and climate change, and the need to make communities more resilient.
Desjardins announced that it had also teamed up with the Canadian Red Cross, making a CAD 75,000 donation to its hurricane relief fund. The cooperative financial group also quickly set up support measures for members and clients affected by Hurricane Fiona, announcing that they can get personalised support tailored to their circumstances, such as adjustments to certain financing products.
“It’s impossible for us to remain unmoved by this level of devastation,” said Guy Cormier, President and CEO of Desjardins Group. “We will quickly set up support measures for members and clients affected by the storm. We’ve also made a CAD 75,000 donation to the Red Cross relief fund to lend our support to people on the ground who are helping storm victims.”
Gore Mutual is also donating CAD 50,000 to the Canadian Red Cross to aid in their disaster relief efforts in Atlantic Canada.
“As a modern mutual, we have a long-standing history of supporting communities in their time of need,” says Gore Mutual CEO Andy Taylor. “Hurricane Fiona has had a catastrophic impact on those in Atlantic Canada and we hope this donation will aid residents as they begin to rebuild.”
