This is an archive of news stories and research from the National Union of Public and General Employees. Please see our new site - https://nupge.ca - for the most current information. 


NUPGE joins appeal to help suffering residents of Fort McMurray

Make your donation today to the Red Cross to help the people in Fort McMurray rebuild.

Ottawa (05 May 2016) — The National Executive Board of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) has made a sizeable donation to the Red Cross to help families and communities in Fort McMurray cope with, and recover from, the devastating wildfires that began on May 2. NUPGE was able to make the contribution through its National Social Justice Solidarity Fund and donations made by its Components across the country. 

"Our hearts go out to the people of Fort McMurray and the surrounding areas for the losses they are experiencing," said James Clancy, NUPGE National President. "Our thoughts, prayers and solidarity are with them. We continue to hope that the fires will soon be under control and that there will be no further loss of life."

NUPGE members working hard to help the communities

"Our hats go off to those public employees, many of them members of Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA/NUPGE), who have put themselves at risk as they work to assist those most affected by this catastrophe," Clancy stated.

"The National Union is immensely proud of the work that firefighters, first responders, emergency personnel, and health professionals are doing to protect and assist the citizens of Fort McMurray and surrounding area," he continued. "These workers include some of our members from across the country who have volunteered to go to Alberta to lend a helping hand. It is also heartening to see the acts of kindness many Albertans have displayed in assisting their fellow citizens in coping with the heartbreak and pain of this tragedy."

Governments to match individual donations to Red Cross

The government of Alberta and the federal government have announced that they will be matching individual donations to the Red Cross to help build enough support for families and communities to rebuild. 

"It truly is inspiring to observe the generous, caring and compassionate response of Canadians from coast to coast to this tragedy," said Clancy. "We all can say with great pride that their response mirrors the values that have helped build and define the public services that our members provide to Canadians day in and day out."

NUPGE Social Justice Solidarity Fund

Founded in 2007, NUPGE’s Social Justice Solidarity Fund focuses primarily on domestic and international emergency humanitarian relief and on economic and social development projects in developing countries. Since the fund was established, it has contributed close to $600,000 to some 65 projects in Canada and around the world. 

NUPGE

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 360,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE