OPSEU donates $50,000 to help Fort McMurray fire victims

TORONTO, May 5, 2016 /CNW/ - The executive board of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union has voted to donate $50,000 to the Canadian Red Cross to help victims of the forest fires now raging in Fort McMurray, Alberta.

"In my lifetime I do not recall ever seeing news reports of a forest fire that caused so much destruction to a community," OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas said this morning. "This fire is an unforgettable tragedy for the citizens of Fort McMurray who have lost their homes and businesses and an ongoing threat to all in the vicinity of the fire.

"I think all Canadians want to do what they can for the people of Fort McMurray, and we are proud to do what we can."

At least 100 Ontario firefighters, members of OPSEU, are either in northern Alberta now or on their way, Thomas said.

"As a union that is proud to represent forest firefighters across northern Ontario, OPSEU is thinking of all the firefighters who are heading towards the fire while others are being evacuated," Thomas said. "This donation is for the people of Fort McMurray, but it is made in the name of every firefighter who has ever dragged a hose through the bush to save people, property, or our natural resources."

SOURCE Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU)

Warren (Smokey) Thomas 613-329-1931