Vancouver Communauté Nouvelles

A dip in temperature prompted the City of Vancouver to open extra overnight shelter spaces this weekend. The city says an extreme weather alert is in effect from Saturday to Monday due to temperatures that feel at or below 0 C. “If you are sleeping outside, please come to the safety of the shelters,” a notice reads.

Alexis Root founded Recovery Kidz Society to support families impacted by substance use disorder, and said a private donor recently reached out hoping to help someone in need. As she usually did, Root went to Shoppers Drug Mart in Pitt Meadows and purchased a $500 gift card that was displayed on the store floor. But when the family went to use it, the gift card “didn’t work,” said Dan, the recipient.

She said around 850 families and 1,800 children in the Nanaimo and surrounding area received a Christmas gift, with volunteers acting as “personal shoppers” to help find the right gift. Last year, they helped 1,600 children and 750 families pick out Christmas gifts.

Charitable giving in Canada is on the decline, according to the Fraser Institute’s latest generosity index, which analyzed tax returns to track private donations across the country. The study shows that fewer Canadians are donating, and the value of donations has also fallen.

The Government of Canada is committed to advancing long-term reform alongside First Nations across the country—so child and family services put children, families, and communities at the centre of care. Today, the Honourable Mandy Gull-Masty, Minister of Indigenous Services Canada, announced that the Government of Canada will be submitting a detailed plan to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) to reform the First Nations Child and Family Services (FNCFS) program — one that respects regional approaches while operating within a coherent national framework.

Hundreds of families gathered at Broadway Church in Vancouver Sunday for fun, free festivities and went home with holiday hampers that will help ease the financial burden many face during the season. CityReach Care Society handed out about 800 “boxes of love,” which include essentials like grocery gift cards and hygiene items as well as presents for kids to unwrap on Christmas.