Aid from afar: Albertans looking to lend a hand to those impacted by Fiona
Blowers & Grafton restaurants provide a taste of home for Atlantic Canadians now in Alberta, but they're looking to do even more this week: help those impacted by post-tropical storm Fiona.
The five Halifax street food-inspired locations in Alberta will donate all proceeds from liquor sales Friday to the Canadian Red Cross, to aid in recovery and cleanup after the devastating storm.
"I think it's what we do as Canadians. When one of us falls down and one of us needs support or somewhere needs support, we all come together to help," said Josh Robinson, a Blowers & Grafton co-owner who grew up in Halifax.
"This is another case where there's a lot of people in a rough place right now."
There are two Calgary locations, two in Edmonton and one opening this week in Sherwood Park.
Robinson says many staff members who work at the restaurants have family and friends in Atlantic Canada and eastern Quebec and they've all been anxiously following the updates from back home.
"One of our team members has two different family members who lost their roofs in Cape Breton," Robinson said.
"I've heard plenty of horror stories of some pretty devastating damage and people being put out. It's not just personal and homes, it's also businesses and people's livelihoods that are going to be taken back now, too."
The Canadian Red Cross has members on the ground in the Maritimes and Newfoundland.
No one has been sent from Alberta yet, but members here are on standby, if that call comes.
"The Red Cross works in collaboration with municipal governments, with provincial governments and with Indigenous community leadership to make sure we're placing our funds in the best place, not duplicating effort, and where the area of greatest need is," said Jenn McManus, Canadian Red Cross vice-president for Alberta and the Northwest Territories.
People who want to donate to the Canadian Red Cross can do so online or by texting the word 'FIONA' to 20222.
"Albertans have been super generous to their fellow Canadians and to the Red Cross," McManus said.
The federal government will match all donations for Fiona relief made to the organization for the next month.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.