Emergency

As a cold wave descends on Montreal this weekend, the city is opening emergency shelter resources for people experiencing homelessness. The Red Cross was called upon to contribute — and answered the call.

From coordinating supplies, the vehicle fleet and laundry runs, to solving unexpected challenges daily, the Logistics Field Operations Team (FOT) makes sure everyone gets what they need during the 2025 Manitoba Wildfires response. Their work may be behind the scenes, but it is a cornerstone of every successful operation with the Canadian Red Cross.

In late March 2025, Ontario experienced a major ice storm, causing widespread power outages and damage in Orillia, Pefferlaw, Georgina, Dufferin, and Georgina Island First Nation. Thousands of people were impacted by the ice storm and some communities were without electricity for more than a week.  

This summer’s wildfires in Alberta, which led to the evacuation of Jasper National Park and the closure of Highway 16, left a severe impact in the region, including small businesses that faced challenges such as structural damages, equipment loss, supply shortages and complete operational halts.

Since July 22, 2024, the Canadian Red Cross has provided and continues to provide critical services and support to those impacted by the 2024 Alberta wildfires.  

For more than 20 hours, people fleeing wildfire in Northwest Territories drove south to get to safety and plan their next steps. Michele Michetti, 29, remembers seeing flames, but it’s the people that stick out the most in her memories on the drive from Yellowknife. 

France Hurtubise, a retired Communications delegate living in Montréal, looks back on her experience in the humanitarian sector and shares her story with us. Over the course of 25 years working abroad, France traveled to four continents and worked in countries heavily impacted by conflicts and disasters. In May 2022, she published “Grandeur et dénuement”, an account of her years with the Red Cross (ICRC, IFRC and CRC) and the UN.

Joe Michielsen is entering his third decade as a volunteer with the Canadian Red Cross in southern Alberta. Discover why he thinks “volunteering is the best job”.