Just telling it like it is .....

I feel that this is a state of emergency at this point and that any donation centres that were operating beautifully to get supplies to needy areas should be re-opened immediately come hell or high water.”

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I have been involved in drives to help the people of Alberta who have had to flee the fires and have relocated to various areas across Canada.

I personally escorted a trailer filled with goods to a drop off at a centre initiated by some terrific people and volunteers who were supplying food and dire necessities from their drop off centre to remoter areas north of them and first aid supplies to the first responders battling the fires.

Because of the interference and threats made (personal) civil and political, they have been forced to shutdown. They were the closest drop off donation centre to a number of campsites that had opened their doors to what started as 1000 displaced people.

They are down to about 600-700. These people are in Wandering River and Redwater drop off centre was driving supplies directly to them.

The lady who was running supplies for the recreational vehicles was using her own Red cross relief money ($600) to do a round trip pf 3 hours to drop off urgently needed prescriptions filled and to try and pick up and non perishable food items and necessities.

A new lady has volunteered to take over this role and I am liaising with her to ensure they get fresh fruit, vegetable and meats.

I have never, ever seen such a snafu with the inefficiency of filling the needs of those in dire straits, homeless, in need of clothing, medicine and the lack of support from the Red Cross and EERSS (Edmonton Emergency relief centre at the airport).

There are so many complaints, people have waited for 4 weeks for a Red Cross number so they can get relief, some have applied four times without results.

The EERSS centre at Edmonton Airport has been receiving new supplies, bu does not have enough volunteers to sort and ship (they started off with 1000, it has now dwindled down to 200 and they can only serve 100 people a day).

People have been lining up so early, only to be told they have shut down after a few hours. So, displaced people have been standing in line ups with their kids and babies in tow for 5 hours to have the doors shut in their face.

This is a disaster and I am sorely pissed and disgusted that those donation points throughout the Province of Alberta who truly were doing a better job of helping those in need have been blacklisted, threatened and forced to shut their doors.

They have tried to contact reporters, but I guess no one has the guts to take on “big government” and no reporter has been willing to respond.

If you wish to contact me, feel free.

As a retired police officer who spent 29 years serving my community, I should expect others to do the same.

My analogy is the old retort “my pee pee is bigger than yours”.

What good is a “large pee pee” (as in Fed. Govt. Alberta Govt. Red Cross and EERSS) if they don’t know how to use it to satisfy the others needs, so a “little pee pee” (as in Redwater drop off centres and the others forced to shut down in other communities), if used the right way and satisfies the other greatly, is so, so much better!

I am going to compile a list of what I have seen as solid ineptness and deficiencies by both bureaucratic agencies and submit it to anyone and every one I can.

Now, pardon me, But I have to drop off donations to a trailer heading out on Tuesday from Cloverdale to Wandering Rivber as there are so many people in need there.

I will also be trying to rent a restaurant sized freezer and cooler and truck the bloody things to the gal in Wandering River so they can have fresh food instead of eating Mr Noodles!

I feel that this is a state of emergency at this point and that any donation centres that were operating beautifully to get supplies to needy areas should be re-opened immediately come hell or high water. They are the people filling the needs to these remote areas and for first responders and must remain open!

Sincerely,

Leslie McKellar Volunteer Retired Vancouver Police Department Volunteer at Agassiz Speedway

Addition: Another reader has informed us

As of today at noon (June 1) I hear that the Lac La Biche centre has been forced to close and that in fact the girl organizing relief efforts for the campsites may be forced to shut down which leaves her in a terrible situation to do her best to provide for her 600-700 neighbours. The Red Cross and EERSS were notified on the 10th May of the dire straits at these work camps and still nothing has been done!