The JuneWarren-Nickle鈥檚 Energy Group (JWN) and its parent company, Glacier Media, are donating $50,000 toward Red Cross efforts in Fort McMurray.
This newspaper is owned by Glacier Media.
The donation is also on behalf of other individual Glacier business units, which will undertake their own awareness and fundraising efforts to help the city and its residents rebuild their community and their lives, said Bill Whitelaw, JWN president and Glacier executive vice-president.
Glacier, as one of Canada鈥檚 leading media and information services companies, has also created an integrated crowd funding campaign, with all proceeds going to the Red Cross efforts, at www.fundaid.ca/fortmac.
Glacier is deeply involved in communities across Western Canada with community newspapers and business information services, noted Tim Shoults, Glacier鈥檚 vice-president of content and audience development.
鈥淭his way, we can rally our readers, our customers and our communities to get behind the Red Cross efforts in a way that allows contributions of all sizes,鈥 explained Shoults.
From an energy perspective, it鈥檚 important for Canadians from coast to coast to have a sense beyond the headlines of how important Fort McMurray is to the overall Canadian economy, Whitelaw said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just not an Alberta dynamic...all Canadians need to step up and help get this engine running on all cylinders again, putting people, companies and their welfare front and centre,鈥 said Whitelaw.
鈥淐anada鈥檚 oilsands sector is a key part of our energy practice at JWN...we know these companies and these communities well. Like all other organizations that have stepped up with support, we want these folks to know we have their back.鈥
J W N produces the Oilsands Review and Oilsands Navigator as part of a broad portfolio of oilsands products and services.
鈥淎s with our industry association partners such as the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers and Petroleum Services Association of Canada, we鈥檙e putting our contribution toward the Red Cross, to ensure the dollars we donate get amplified through provincial and federal contributions,鈥 he added.
Glacier鈥檚 other business practices in mining, agriculture, environmental services and community media are also stepping up to keep the challenges Fort McMurray and the area face in the coming weeks and months in terms of awareness, explained Whitelaw.
鈥淚n one way or another, all of our businesses touch Fort McMurray and Wood Buffalo. Besting the fire was just the first among many challenges still to come.鈥