(Posted in 2017)
Teamsters Local 213’s Disaster Relief Fund
A Disaster Relief Fund has been set up to help Teamster members who have been affected by this year’s B.C. wildfires. The local is providing one-time financial assistance of $500 to members who have been served evacuation notice.
In addition, the Red Cross received $20,000 from Teamsters Joint Council 36 and $15,000 from Teamsters Canada.
Secretary Treasurer Walter Canta said, “This year’s wild fires in the Interior of B.C. are the worst on record and thousands of people have been affected including many of our Teamster members. The executive board of the union moved quickly to establish this relief fund to show support in this time of devastating hardship in so many communities.
For further information about how to receive financial assistance, Teamster members who have been served evacuation notice are asked to contact Business Reps Kimm Davis, Anthony Krieger, or Mike Symons in the Kelowna office at 250-765-3195.
Red Cross assistance
Canadian Red Cross – Click on the link to register online or call 1-800-863-6582
- The Province is urging all evacuees to register with the Canadian Red Cross, even those who do not require immediate aid.
- Transfers of at least $600 per household are being sent to registered evacuees whose information has been validated with the provincial authorities.
- The funds will first be delivered to households that have been ordered to evacuate, as they currently face the highest level of need.
- After the Red Cross validates the information, they will transfer the funds to recipients through secure electronic bank transfers. The validation and transfer process will take up to a week to process.
- To register, please contact the Canadian Red Cross at 1 800 863-6582 or online at: www.redcross.ca.
Regular updates
Cariboo Regional District Emergency Operations updates
Federal government contact information
Old Age Security / Canada Pension Plan
1-800-277-9914 or 1-800-255-4786 (TTY)
Ministry of Employment & Income Assistance
Employment Insurance – 1-866-866-0800, if you have applied for EI, press 4
Canada Child Tax Benefit – 1-800387-1193
Individual Taxes – 1-800-959-8281
Business Taxes – 1-800-959-5525
GST – 1-800-959-1953
Collections – 1-800-864-5823
Passport Canada
1-800-567-6868
Canada.ca website
Postal service for members in wildfire zones
To help reconnect displaced residents with the postal system as quickly as possible, Canada Post is asking people to register for the Mail Forwarding service. This is an important service not just for ongoing mail and parcels, but it also provides a vital link with government and relief agencies going forward.
By registering, Canada Post will be able to ship mail and parcels to a different address selected by the customer, as well as reprocess and ship existing mail and parcels. This can be done on a short-term basis or for longer periods, even if the address is temporary.
To all affected British Columbia residents with postal codes starting with the following 3 digits are eligible for the service: V0E, V0K, V0L, V2G, & V2J.
To register for the Mail Forwarding service:
For impacted residents with a credit card and government-issued ID bearing an eligible postal code:
Go online at canadapost.ca/mailforward. Note that you will have to provide a credit card payment in order to authenticate the transaction but you will be refunded in 5-10 business days. We apologize for this inconvenience, but to make this available quickly, we have had to take this approach.
Go to any post office in British Columbia or across the country. You will not be required to show a credit card, just your government-issued photo ID. Retail employees will help you with the process, which is free of charge.
Note: Make note of the eight-digit reference number at the top of the Mail Forwarding form when you register for the service at a post office. This number makes it easy for Canada Post customer service to retrieve your information if you need to make changes to, or cancel, your Mail Forwarding service.
For impacted residents with a government-issued ID bearing an eligible postal code, but no credit card:
Go to any post office in British Columbia or across the country. Retail employees will help you with the process, which is free of charge.
If any affected resident requires urgent access to critical items, such as medications or passports, please call 1 800 267-1177. If residents are looking for a secure place to send any future items they purchase online, they can also sign up for the FlexDelivery service for free, which will allow them to send all future online purchases to a post office of their choosing.
