Wawanesa unveils recipients of Community Wildfire Prevention Grants totalling $150,000+
Winnipeg (Manitoba) – To help Canadians access the resources they need to reduce their risk of wildfire-related loss and damage, Wawanesa is awarding more than $150,000 in Community Wildfire Prevention Grants to 12 locally based organizations.
The initiative is part of the Wawanesa Climate Champions program, which reinforces the insurer’s annual $2 million commitment to building stronger, more resilient communities. The Community Wildfire Prevention Grants will support critical prevention and mitigation efforts, including the creation of a mobile wildfire fuel clean-up unit, installation of campfire spark screens, and programs to clear overgrown plants, brush, or trees.
“With wildfires becoming an ever-growing threat across the country, resilience is key to safeguarding homes, farms, and businesses,” said Jackie De Pape Hornick, Director of Communications & Community Impact at Wawanesa. “We’re proud to partner with these local organizations, helping them to take proactive steps to make the places they live and work safer. After all, as a Canadian owned and operated mutual insurer, we don’t just serve these communities – we’re part of them.”
This marks the third straight year Wawanesa has provided Community Wildfire Prevention Grants, which were developed in collaboration with FireSmartTM Canada and the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction.
“Community involvement is the cornerstone of implementing FireSmart principles,” said Lisa Walker, Director of Resiliency and Partnerships at the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, which operates FireSmart Canada. “Actions taken at both the individual and community level will help reduce wildland fire risk for yourself, your family, and your neighbours. No task is too large when communities work together to reduce their shared wildland fire risk.”
“Last year saw the loss of about one-third of the town of Jasper in an aggressive, fast-moving wildfire,” said Paul Kovacs, Executive Director of ICLR. “Many Canadian communities that are at risk of a similar fate are small and have few resources to be able to address the risk effectively. Wawanesa’s Community Wildfire Prevention Grants has helped many of these communities over the last three years deal with this risk by helping to fund key fire mitigation projects.”
A complete list of Community Wildfire Prevention Grants recipients and their projects can be found on wawanesa.com.
About The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company
The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company, founded in 1896, is one of Canada’s largest mutual insurers, with over $3.5 billion in annual revenue and assets of $10 billion. Wawanesa Mutual, with its National Headquarters in Winnipeg, is the parent company of Wawanesa Life, which provides life insurance products and services throughout Canada, and Western Financial Group, which distributes personal and business insurance across Canada. Wawanesa proudly serves more than 1.7 million members in Canada. The company actively gives back to organizations that strengthen communities, donating more than $3.5 million annually to charitable organizations, including over $2 million annually in support of people on the front lines of climate change. Learn more at wawanesa.com
For more information:
Michel Rosset
Manager, Corporate Communications and Media Relations
The Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company
media@wawanesa.com