ADOPTION NEWS CENTRAL

Haiti relief effort gets boost from Canadian businesses

BY ROBIN HILBORN, Family Helper editor

(Jan. 24, 2010)   Businesses in Canada have responded to the call for help in the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake.

For more earthquake coverage, see "First Haitian adoptees arrive in Canada" and "Earthquake halts new adoptions in Haiti".


AIRLINES

  • A donated Air Canada Boeing 767-300ER and volunteer crew left Jan. 16 from Montreal with relief supplies from the Canadian Red Cross and ONEXONE Foundation and about 100 search and rescue technicians from Québec. The return flight carried evacuees.
  • Starting Jan. 16 all proceeds from Air Canada's on-board donation program, Every Bit Counts, went to Haiti relief.
  • A donated Air Canada Airbus A330 and volunteer crew left Toronto Jan. 23 carrying 35,000 kg of donated supplies, 15 doctors and nurses from Montréal's Jewish General Hospital and ONEXONE Foundation relief workers. The return flight to Ottawa on Jan. 24 brought 24 Haitian children cleared for adoption and over 100 Canadian evacuees.
  • Air Transat gave $25,000 to the Red Cross and $25,000 to SOS Children's Villages, and is donating humanitarian flights to Haiti.
  • First Air and the Belinda Stronach Foundation donated two Hercules aircraft and a Boeing 767-200 Super Freighter to carry out rescue and relief missions.
  • WestJet donated $100,000 to the Canadian Red Cross and a charter flight to Port-au-Prince to carry relief supplies, and will carry relief supplies on scheduled flights to Miami.
  • Sunwing provided free seating worth $50,000 for humanitarian and rescue workers on flights to Haiti.
  • Aeroplan donated one million Aeroplan miles to the Canadian Red Cross and 1 million to Médecins Sans Frontières, and will allow members to donate their miles to either. It will also match employee cash donations to the Canadian Red Cross.

BANKING, INSURANCE

  • Bank of Montreal gave $250,000 to the Red Cross and appealed to its 36,000 employees to donate to the relief effort. It waived fees on fund transfers to Haiti.
  • Bank of Nova Scotia donated $250,000 to the Canadian Red Cross.
  • CIBC donated $100,000 and waived transaction fees on donations.
  • National Bank donated $150,000 to the Canadian Red Cross, and will match employee and public donations to an additional $100,000.
  • Royal Bank pledged a US$100,000 donation to the Red Cross.
  • Scotiabank contributed $250,000 to the Red Cross.
  • TD Bank donated $100,000.
  • The Co-operators will match $150,000 in donations.
  • Desjardins Group pledged $300,000.
  • Intact Financial Corporation donated $50,000 to the Canadian Red Cross.

RESOURCES, TRANSPORTATION

  • Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan pledged $500,000 to the Canadian Red Cross and Care Canada, and pledged to match employee contributions.
  • Canadian National Railway donated $100,000 to the Red Cross and is matching employee donations.
  • TransForce, a transportation company, donated $50,000.

RETAIL

  • Canadian Tire will send tents, sleeping bags, flashlights and batteries to Haiti, and sell additional merchandise for the aid effort at cost.
  • Gildan Activewear donated $50,000 to the Red Cross.
  • Home Hardware donated $25,000 to the Mennonite Central Committee for Haitian earthquake relief.
  • Hudson's Bay Company donated $200,000 to the Canadian Red Cross.
  • Hydro Quebec sent a team of doctors, nurses, firefighters and police officers.
  • Ikea Canada donated $50,000.
  • Rogers Communications donated $250,000 and gave subscribers a way to donate through their cellphones.
  • Shopper's Drug Mart gave $100,000 in cash and supplies.
  • Tim Hortons donated $100,000 to UNICEF.
  • Wal-Mart Canada donated $100,000 and accepts donations at all 314 stores nationwide.

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CREDIT

In part from Wikipedia, "Humanitarian response by for-profit organizations to the 2010 Haiti earthquake". Reproduced under the terms of the Creative Commons Public License.
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