TORONTO – The Steelworkers Humanity Fund (SHF) is donating $20,000 to support people and communities evacuated due to the recent wildfires in Manitoba.
Yesterday, the Manitoba government declared a province-wide state of emergency amid reports of an intensification of the wildfires that have been raging for weeks now. More than 17,000 residents of northern and eastern Manitoba, including the First Nations communities of Pimicikimak and Mathias Colomb and the city of Flin Flon, were ordered to evacuate, in what Premier Wab Kinew described as “the largest evacuation in many Manitobans’ living memory.”
Many United Steelworkers (USW) union members in the area have been affected by the evacuation order, including almost all members of USW Locals 7106 and 9338 in Flin Flon. USW Local 7499 members in southeastern Manitoba (Lac du Bonnet) have been forced off work at the local mine for two weeks due to the presence of a nearby fire.
The Steelworkers Humanity Fund is responding to the appeal sent by the Canadian Red Cross with a $20,000 donation to support local authorities in assisting those affected by the wildfires with immediate and ongoing relief, including financial assistance, support to evacuees and the communities hosting them, as well as recovery and resilience efforts.
“The Steelworkers Humanity Fund stands in solidarity with the communities affected by the devastating wildfires in Manitoba,” said Marty Warren, SHF President and USW National Director.
“Through our donation to the Canadian Red Cross, we’re helping to ensure that immediate relief and long-term recovery efforts reach those who need it most, including our members and their communities. We are proud to support the vital work being done on the ground during this challenging time,” Warren said.
Anyone wishing to donate can visit the Red Cross 2025 Manitoba Wildfires Appeal website.
Founded in 1985, the Steelworkers Humanity Fund is a registered charitable organization that focuses primarily on development projects and emergency aid in developing countries but also supports Canadian communities. USW members contribute to the fund through clauses negotiated into collective agreements. In some cases, employers make matching contributions to the fund.
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter
USW Local 9344, representing mining and transportation workers at Rio Tinto’s Iron Ore Company (IOC) operations in Quebec’s North Shore region, recently won key legal challenges of company policies on medical leave and workplace favouritism. One of the Local 9344 victories appears to have set legal precedent, with a recent decision by the Superior Court […]
More than 850 activists from across Canada and the United States gathered in Toronto for the United Steelworkers National and International Women of Steel Conference – a space defined by learning, solidarity and a renewed commitment to building power across the labour movement. From the moment delegates arrived, the energy was clear: this was more […]
The following statement was released jointly today by Canada’s two largest industrial unions, Unifor and the United Steelworkers: U.S. sector-based tariffs (“section 232 tariffs”) have hit Canadian manufacturing workers and businesses hard, impacting families and entire communities. Many Canadian steel mills, auto plants, wood product facilities and aluminum fabricators have slowed or shuttered production, leaving […]