Epcor invites residents to join ‘wave’ of gratitude
Utilities company calls for videos thanking workers on front lines
Waves of gratitude will soon be heading toward those working on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic in Edmonton.
Edmontonians are invited by Epcor to show their appreciation for essential workers by making a recording of themselves doing their best enthusiastic wave, which will be compiled together into a video. Epcor CEO and president Stuart Lee hopes it will be the “biggest wave ever” on social media.
“We’re hoping that this will ignite the spirit of Edmontonians in a unique movement that helps show our community the gratitude for all our front-line workers,” he said.
Videos can be submitted online between April 17 and midnight April 18 by uploading them to waveforthefrontline.ca.
The tribute video will be released
April 22, backed with an original song by Edmonton singer-songwriter Tanika Charles.
Thanking front-line workers, including doctors, nurses and other health-care workers, has become popular in other parts of the country and around the world.
In B.C., residents applaud healthcare workers from their windows and balconies every night at 7 p.m., cheering, clapping and banging pots and pans.
The same routine has become popular in Italy.
Lee said when employees came to him with the idea of how to thank those workers here, he was excited.
“If you think about Edmonton and how we support our community teams like the Oilers and the Eskimos, it’s something you can definitely generate a lot of energy from,” he said.
“Instead of being able to watch the playoffs this week, the Oilers this week, which would have been the first time in a few years, we get to redirect that energy to some of our front-line workers.”
As for whether or not he will be in the video, he says he hopes he doesn’t get cut from the final take.