Canadians who are not impacted by the devastation caused by post-tropical storm Fiona over the weekend are being asked by the to donate to relief efforts.
However, the federal government鈥檚 announcement it will match donations to the Red Cross has other charities wondering why other agencies aren鈥檛 included, so that Atlantic Canada receives as much support as possible.
Atlantic Canada was pummeled by the storm on Saturday, leaving a trail of destruction.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, where homes in Port aux Basque were washed out to sea, the body of a 73-year-old woman was recovered Sunday afternoon.
In Nova Scotia, uprooted trees are scattered throughout the province and hundreds of thousands remain without power, which authorities say could take days to restore. The Canadian Armed forces have been called in to help restore electricity.
The military has also been called to Prince Edward Island, as tens of thousands remain without power on Monday and damage to property and uprooted trees cause havoc.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a press conference that the federal government would match any Red Cross donations to provide Fiona relief.
The Red Cross is asking those impacted by Fiona to register with the charity so they can be notified about services and assistance.
For donors, a $10 donation can be given by texting FIONA to 20222 and further donations can be or by calling 1-800-418-1111.
鈥淔iona is now out of Atlantic Canada鈥ut now we鈥檙e seeing people find out what devastation they have and see the damages,鈥� said Allie Murchison-Maguire, a communications and government relations adviser for the Red Cross, Atlantic.
鈥淭here鈥檚 definitely a lot of damage that people weren鈥檛 expecting,鈥� to their homes, she said. For those impacted, registering will get victims in the database as soon as possible so that relief comes faster, she said.
Red Cross can help with organizing volunteers, mental health supports, and financial help, said Murchison-Maguire. 鈥淚f we get those donations we鈥檙e able to help out more people,鈥� she said.
FEDS ONLY MATCHING RED CROSS DONATIONS
However, Trudeau鈥檚 statements have been troubling for other charities who are questioning why the federal government is only matching donations for a single charity.
Rahul Singh, with GlobalMedic, a humanitarian relief organization that provides aid in areas affected by natural disasters or complex emergencies, told CTV Toronto Sunday that matching only one charity 鈥渃omes at the expense of other agencies,鈥� he said.
Less private funding will come to GlobalMedic as a result and there are many other agencies along with the Red Cross that are working to provide relief in Atlantic Canada, he said.
When Singh spoke to CTVNews.ca Monday, he welcomed the government encouraging donations, but said only matching donations to a single organization will ultimately harm people who need the relief.
鈥淭here are many agencies鈥� even the local food banks, so many people that are helping. If you have a policy that actually makes it harder for some of the agencies that are responding to have money come in, it hurts their response,鈥� he said.
鈥淚f your intention as a government is to help people overall, this is not the way to do it,鈥� he said.
In the past, governments used to match multiple legitimate agencies, he said.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e a Canadian in the east, you need us all on top of our game, delivering all the aid we can. A program like this hurts us and it hurts them,鈥� he said. And one agency can鈥檛 do everything鈥� helping multiple charities helps to allow specialized charities with knowledge of the communities they serve to do their best work, said Singh.
Other charity organizations that do work in the Atlantic provinces, some of which have religious ties, include the Salvation Army and Samaritans Purse. United Way and Lions Club International also do work there.
In an email to CTVNews.ca, Public Safety Canada said the federal government 鈥渞ecognizes the importance of funding diverse organizations that support emergency response across Canada.鈥� The Fall 2020 Economic Statement invested $150 million over two years, starting in 2021-2022, to support the Canadian Red Cross and other non-governmental organizations, including The Salvation Army, said Tim Warmington, spokesperson for Public Safety Canada.Humanity First, a global charity focused on disaster relief that has a Canadian chapter, is also raising funds for victims of Fiona.
鈥淚n Nova Scotia, we have our team on the ground and doing the assessment of how we can help, we will be doing fundraising but it鈥檚 limited funds that are available to us right now,鈥� said its director Nadeem Mahmood.
A federal matching of funds would be 鈥渞eally nice and we鈥檇 appreciate that,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut when there is no dollar match it does limit capabilities and efforts we can do on the ground,鈥� he said.
The government should look at multiple agencies and see which ones are working on the ground and have the ability to help victims, so efforts can be maximized, he said.
CanadaHelps, a Toronto-based charity that connects people in Canada to other Canadian non-profit organizations, is creating a list of all organizations that can be donated to for Fiona relief.
The government matching Red Cross donations is a 鈥渧ery effective means鈥� ofencouraging donations, said Jacob O鈥機onnor, a spokesperson for the organization.
Canadians can currently donate to the Red Cross, along with a that are working to help residents of Atlantic Canada, said O鈥機onnor.
CTVNews.ca has reached out to the federal government to ask why they have focused on matching donations to a single charity.
Donating to GlobalMedic for Fiona relief can be
With files from CTV Toronto鈥檚 Austin Delaney
