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Ottawa Gives $15.6M to Red Cross to Strengthen Disaster Response Readiness
The federal government will invest more than $15.6 million in the Canadian Red Cross through the Humanitarian Workforce Program, funding a rapid-deployment emergency workforce, reception and evacuation centres, and stronger coordination with remote and Indigenous communities.
Why it matters
This is the first project announced since the Humanitarian Workforce Program was renewed in May, when the federal government committed $108 million to strengthen disaster response capacity across the country. More projects are expected to follow.
The funding
Eleanor Olszewski, Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada, announced the investment of more than $15.6 million in the Canadian Red Cross through the Humanitarian Workforce Program.
The funding will maintain a highly skilled, rapidly deployable emergency workforce to support large-scale emergencies in provinces and territories. It will also fund the operation of reception and evacuation centres, registration of evacuees, distribution of emergency supplies, and connections to recovery and mental health supports.
The investment will additionally strengthen coordination with remote and Indigenous communities, incorporating lessons learned from recent disaster seasons into response planning.
Background
Disasters struck multiple regions this summer, with the Red Cross helping prepare the Vernon Cadet Training Centre in British Columbia to receive wildfire evacuees if needed. The federal government says ongoing extreme weather makes standing emergency capacity more important than ever.
Source: Government of Canada announcement (canada.ca), October 9, 2026, issued in Edmonton.
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