Toronto charity questions why feds chose only one aid agency to match Fiona donations

A Toronto charity with expertise in disaster relief is questioning why the federal government is offering to match donations to just one registered charity providing relief in the aftermath of tropical storm Fiona.

During a press conference on Saturday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the federal government would match any donations made to the Canadian Red Cross to provide relief in the wake of destruction left by Fiona.

Guy LePage of the Canadian Red Cross told CTV News Toronto the agency is on the ground on the east coast, closely working with other agencies in the area.

“It’s going to take a long time to clean up and [is] going to cost a lot of money,” LePage said, asking Canadians to consider making a donation.

“We appreciate all the money that Canadians traditionally cough up,” Lepage said, in asking for donations. “As Canadians, we’re very generous and we can empathize with our fellow Canadians who go through a rough time.”

However, Rahul Singh, with GlobalMedic, a humanitarian relief organization that provides aid in areas affected by natural disasters or complex emergencies, argues this is a bad decision.

“When you create a matching fund that only benefits one agency, it actually comes at the expense of other agencies,” he said.

Singh says less private funding will now flow to his organization, instead going the other way to the Canadian Red Cross and hampering GlobalMedic’s ability to help in the Maritimes.

 “In our sector, there are many agencies like us trying to help Canadians in need and the resources coming to us will dwindle because of this decision.”