Dealers provide generous support in wake of disastrous floods in B.C.

During November 14 and 15 areas of Southwestern British Columbia received extremely high levels of rainfall, causing widespread flooding as well as landslides in a number of communities including the Sumas Prairie, Abbotsford, Hope and Merritt.

The resulting damage has been catastrophic for many and it could take months for things to return to some semblance of normality.

Given the extend of the damage and the impact it’s had on people living in these areas, there has been an outpouring of public support.

A key player has been the auto dealer community, which has really stepped up to help through the Canadian Red Cross B.C. Flood and Extreme Weather Appeal initiative.

Serious momentum

During an interview with Blair Qualey, President & CEO of the New Car Dealers Association of B.C., Autosphere learned that what started with an offer to help the Red Cross from association members in Kelowna has quickly grown into a major fundraising campaign, with donations coming from across the country.

The donations provided by the Kelowna-based dealers were quickly matched by the New Car Dealers Association of B.C. and the Recreational Dealers Association of B.C., which in turn was matched by the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) at the federal level.

As CADA spread the word, other provincial associations including the Trillium Automobile Dealers Association (TADA) and Corporation des Concessionaires Automobiles du Quebec (CCAQ) pledged donations to support the disaster relief with momentum continuing to gather steam across the country, both at the association and individual dealer level.

Additionally, the Wheaton Family and First Canadian Financial Group also stepped in, offering to match all existing donations up to $500,000.

“The outpouring of support has been tremendous,” said Qualey, who noted that everybody is playing their part in different ways.

Besides financial donations, many are also providing their time and energy to help by assisting with relief supplies, including clothing, shelter and food to those stranded in the affected communities. 

Wide impact

The impact is particularly felt by many dealers whose customers are stranded in areas such as the Fraser Valley and as well as employees of these retail locations who aren’t able to get to work or, in some cases get home due to the flooding and damage to major infrastructure in the region.

Things will recover thanks to the generous efforts of people in the province of British Columbia and across this great country including the auto dealer community.

“Everybody’s chipping in,” said Qualey, “and it doesn’t surprise me, in having had the privilege to work with car dealers over many years. They are always there to help as much as they can.”

For more details on how you can help assist with the Canadian Red Cross B.C. Flood and Extreme Weather Appeal, please contact:  Email: [email protected] | (604) 709-6748 | C (604) 787-6579