Canada’s Co-operators commit to helping refugees

Canadian insurance and investment co-op, the Co-operators, has committed $250,000 in funding to help welcome Syrian refugees to the country.

The Canadian government announced that 25,000 refugees from Syria will settle in Canada, the first of whom arrived in December. Support for families and individuals is being arranged to meet immediate needs including transitional housing, job training and skills development.

As part of the nation-wide effort, a special one-time grant program has been created through the Co-operators Foundation’s Community Economic Development Fund to support organisations’ initiatives aimed at preparing refugees for employability.

The Co-operators is also encouraging employees to volunteer to help at the initiatives underway in local communities. Employees are allowed to use two paid days a year to volunteer, and staff-led Volunteers In Action chapters across the country connect them with local organisations.

“People and organisations throughout the country are lending a helping hand to support the resettlement of Syrian refugees as they begin a new chapter in their lives here in Canada,” said Kathy Bardswick, president and CEO of the Co-operators.

“This is a national project of historic proportions that demands the support of not only government, but community organizations, private enterprises and individual Canadians.”