Taking action in support of our vital natural resource sector

Canada’s natural resource sector supports millions of families with employment opportunities as well as governments via billions of generated tax revenues across the country. Overlooked by many Canadians is the fact that these individual companies also are an integral, positive, and uplifting force within our local neighbourhoods via the hefty contributions they make to good causes – sometimes on a weekly basis.

Canada Action’s new Resources for Good initiative showcases some of the great things our natural resource companies are doing within our communities. Here are three recent examples as part of the first installment in this new and exciting series! Also see:

• Resources for Good: Part 2
• Resources for Good: Part 3
• Canadian Resources Companies Donate to STARS Ambulance

Mining & exploration companies donate $100K to B.C. food banks

In July of 2020, food banks in British Columbia received a $100,000 donation from mining and exploration companies as demand for assistance continued to grow due to food insecurity brought on by COVID-19.

Raised by The Association for Mineral Exploration, the #MiningFeedsBC Food Bank Challenge was purposed to “….provide targeted relief to those living in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities facing food security challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

According to Dan Huang-Taylor, executive director of B.C. Food Banks, the contribution was more than welcome at a time of growing need.

“Thanks to this significant donation from the BC mining and exploration community through the #MiningFeedsBC food bank challenge, we can provide much-needed resources to BC Food Banks as they continue to support their communities and tackle hunger across our province.”  

Let’s give a pat on the back to these mining and exploration companies who are stepping up to help those in need during a time of crisis, especially considering when COVID-19 has exacerbated the issue of food security for many Canadians.

Shell Canada’s 30-year, $100 million initiative changes thousands of lives

Shell Canada is yet another natural resource company committed to bettering communities across Canada. Over the past 32 years, Shell and its employees have donated $100 million to United Ways – an organization working to improve local lives by bringing people together to solve complex issues – which has helped families throughout our country.

Each year, Shell Canada matches employee and retiree donations in addition to directing multiple fundraising / volunteering activities and events to support the cause.

Shell Canada also donated $250,000 to the COVID-19 Community Response Fund, a collaboration between the City of Calgary + United Way of Calgary and Area, with the hopes of providing much-needed assistance to people within local communities during the current pandemic.

“Shell Canada’s generous gift to the COVID-19 Community Response Fund ensured agencies on the ground were provided with much-needed resources to continue their critical work in supporting vulnerable populations, including seniors, individuals experiencing employment disruptions, and others impacted by COVID-19,” said Karen Young, President and CEO of United Way of Calgary and Area.

Thank you to Shell for stepping up to help Canadians with donations which are exemplary of the good that natural resource companies do for communities and families across our country.

Woodfibre LNG donates to 14 Squamish organizations & local groups

Woodfibre LNG, a proposed natural resource project in B.C. (which hasn’t even begun operating), donated $29,000 to several different Squamish charities and local groups as part of its community sponsorship program in September of 2020.

“This year, our community sponsorship program has been more important than ever, as we all come to terms with the devastating economic effects of the global pandemic,” said David Keane, Woodfibre LNG’s President.

“It is a priority for us at Woodfibre to continue to support our local schools, services and organizations that make a vital contribution to the community of which we are proud to be a part. In May and June, we received over a dozen applications, and we are thrilled to be able to provide funding to so many well-deserving local organizations.”

If LNG Canada’s donation of $500,000 to COVID-19 relief in April (a project well underway in B.C.) is any indication of how much more Woodfibre LNG could give back to communities once under construction, we all should be very excited for local groups and organizations in need.

Thank you to Woodfibre LNG for stepping up to support local communities during a time of major need in British Columbia.

Support Natural Resource Families!

Activist opponents will tell you that Canada’s natural resource industries are “dirty” and should be shut down, but nothing could be further from the truth.

These companies not only provide well-paying, long-term jobs for millions of Canadians and generate tens of billions in revenues for our governments, but also contribute immensely to our local communities and the families therein.

Canada is a global leader on environmental, social and governance metrics among the world’s top oil and natural gas exporters. Our energy, mining and forestry sectors are world-class when it comes to transparency, regulation and environmentally responsible extraction and production.

Nothing is “dirty” about the community initiatives our resource companies have taken on to give back to Canadians even more than they already do. Let’s celebrate their participation within our local neighbourhoods and recognize them as the staples they are in communities from coast-to-coast.

Back to Canada Action

If you have an example of how a natural resource company is giving to your local community in Canada, we would love to hear about it! Tag us @CanadaAction or #CanadaAction on Facebook / Instagram / Twitter, or send an email to [email protected] – we greatly appreciate it!