Ottawa directs $15.6 million to Canadian Red Cross disaster readiness

The federal government is providing $15.6 million to the Canadian Red Cross to maintain a trained, scalable workforce for disasters and other emergencies.

Public Safety Canada announced the project October 9 under the Humanitarian Workforce Program. It is the first project disclosed under a three-year, $108-million renewal of the program announced in May.

The funding is intended to support trained personnel who can be deployed when local capacity is overwhelmed. Depending on the emergency, Canadian Red Cross services can include reception and evacuation centres, registration, emergency supplies, recovery support and mental-health assistance.

The announcement describes preparedness capacity rather than assistance for a specific current disaster. Residents seeking help during an emergency should continue to follow instructions from their municipality, province or territory.

Source: Public Safety Canada, federal investment in the Canadian Red Cross, published October 9, 2026.

Featured image: Joel Muniz / Unsplash, under the Unsplash Licence. Illustrative volunteer-supplies photo; cropped and resized.