British Columbia Wildfire Support
An update from Mark von Schellwitz, Vice-President Western Canada, Restaurants Canada
As many are aware through media reports, the BC government announced a provincial State of Emergency until September 4th, restricting travel for the purpose of staying in temporary accommodation in several Okanagan communities to deal with the wildfires to help ensure accommodation is available for critical-response personnel.
The government also issued the following Emergency Support Services Release providing information to support evacuees who require Emergency Support Services (EES), such as accommodation, food, clothing and other incidentals. Those requiring emergency assistance are asked to register with EES online at https://emergency.rdos.bc.ca/ess to access those supports. Additional information is also available on the Public Emergency Preparation and Recovery website. As far as compensation for damage caused by the wildfires, more information will become available after the immediate threat is over and damage can be assessed.
There are some additional tools available to help businesses impacted by emergencies. For example, Destination BC developed various resources to help tourism and hospitality businesses prepare for emergencies and get the latest info on wildfires, which can be found here. The site also includes links to other resources from the BC Economic Development Association including 10 Steps to Prepare your Business for Evacuation, Local Economic Recovery & Restart Toolkit, BC Wildfire Impact Survey, and information on the Economic Disaster Recovery & Resiliency Program. There is also a link to the Insurance Bureau of Canada for insurance questions and concerns as well as a toll-free number (1-844-227-5422) for any insurance questions.
Restaurants Canada was pleased that Premier David Eby specifically mentioned restaurants in expressing his gratitude to local businesses for stepping up to provide food and assistance to evacuees and emergency responders.
DoorDash offers grants of up to $10,000 to restaurants affected by natural disasters such as wildfires, floods, and hurricanes. Learn more and apply below:
