Timmins city council is throwing their support behind Fort McMurray by donating $5,000 to the Red Cross. The request for a donation came from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the Association of Municipalities Ontario.
Councillor Mike Doody, who sits on the AMO board, says more than 1,000 square kilometres are burning, and almost 90,000 residents are displaced. He says he considers Fort Mac to be similar to Timmins; for them it’s oil, for us it’s mining and lumber. He says donating money is doing the right thing.
Doody also points out that forest fires is something Timmins knows all too well. He says he thinks about the big fire, which could have easily hit Timmins had it not been for the change in wind. He also points out the Vipond Fire, which he says could have easily wiped out the whole community of Schumacher at the time.
Mayor Steve Black echoed those thoughts, saying Timmins may have an appreciation for forest fires that other cities may not, coming all too close with the Timmins Nine fire. He says the entire community of Fort Mac has been relocated and lost their entire life’s plans. He says it is an appropriate time to step up.
Council voted in favour of the $5,000 donation, which will be matched by the federal government, during Monday night’s meeting.