VANCOUVER – Telus announced Monday it has made a commitment of $5 million in cash donations and in-kind contributions to local B.C. charities and organizations supporting wildfire relief efforts across British Columbia.
Telus’s donation — made in partnership with Telus Friendly Future Foundation, Telus Indigenous Communities Fund, Telus Agriculture and Consumer Goods, and Telus Health — will support several organizations, including the Canadian Red Cross, Salvation Army British Columbia Division, BC SPCA, Mamas for Mamas, BC Cattlemen’s Association, and local food banks, a press release says.
“Our Telus team is devastated by the widespread wildfires that continue to rage across British Columbia and our hearts are with all of those affected,” said Darren Entwistle, president and CEO of Telus, in the release. “As always, we will continue to be there for British Columbians in their time of need and, in this regard, it is an honour to lend our support through an initial investment of $5 million to assist with wildfire relief efforts.”
In addition, “Telus technicians continue to work around the clock to maintain critical infrastructure and network connectivity under the most challenging of conditions to ensure British Columbians and first responders stay connected,” the press release says.
“We are in direct contact with all levels of government and various support agencies to provide connectivity at critical locations, such as evacuation centres and emergency operations centre locations. We are also deploying mobile connectivity solutions where necessary to support response efforts,” the release adds.
Some of the assistance Telus is providing directly to evacuees and British Columbians in need include the following:
- Telus is providing a 50 GB data top up to evacuated Telus and Koodo Mobile post-paid customers so they can stay connected to loved ones.
- Telus Health has initiated a free community crisis hotline available 24/7 to all Canadians at 1-844-751-2133.
- Telus Health Virtual Pharmacy patients who were evacuated can contact 1-877-796-7979 to re-route home delivery of their prescriptions to another location or accessible pharmacy.
- Telus is supporting evacuees by offering disaster kits to evacuation centres with essential items such as bandages, USB car chargers and flashlights.
- Telus is working closely with evacuated Indigenous communities to support their connectivity needs and supply disaster kits.
Telus says Telus Health is matching all donations to the BC SPCA up to $10,000 to support their emergency response efforts. Furthermore, evacuated pet owners can access free virtual veterinarian and vet technician consultations for their dogs or cats using Telus Health MyPet and the code BCWILDFIRE.
In addition, Telus Friendly Future Foundation has launched a text-to-donate fundraising campaign to support registered charities providing wildfire relief across the country. Telus customers can text the word DONATE to 41010 to give $20 to the campaign.
Customers in Alberta and B.C. can also redeem their Telus Rewards points to make a $20 donation to Telus Friendly Future Foundation in support of wildfire relief efforts.
