Organisations Urged to Work With Official Representatives in Relief Effort

High Commissioner to Canada, Evadne Coye, has urged Jamaican organizations in Canada to collaborate with Jamaican official representatives to facilitate rapid response to the appeals from the country, in the aftermath of Hurricane Dean.
“To ensure the most effective means of achieving our common objective, the various community organizations should collaborate with the Jamaican official representatives,” she emphasized.
The official representatives are the High Commission in Ottawa, the Consulate General in Toronto, and Honorary Consuls located in Vancouver, British Columbia; Edmonton, Alberta; Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Montreal, Quebec.
Jamaicans and friends of Jamaica are being encouraged to give monetary contributions as their way of assisting with the relief and reconstruction effort. However, High Commissioner Coye said that if a receipt is required for tax purposes, the official representatives are not authorized under Canadian law to issue it. In this case, she said, community associations with the appropriate tax registration as charitable institutions, should be the recipient of these donations, which should be clearly identified as ‘Hurricane Dean Fund.’
Several accounts have been established in Ottawa and Toronto to accept monetary contributions from generous members of the public. Persons can also send cheques payable to the Jamaica High Commission in Ottawa or the Jamaican Consulate General in Toronto. The addresses are: Jamaica High Commission, 275 Slater Street, Suite 800 Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5H9 and the Jamaican Consulate General, 303 Eglinton Avenue, East Toronto, Ontario M4P 1L3.
Accounts have been opened in Ottawa at: Royal Bank of Canada – HC for Jamaica – Jamaica National Disaster Relief, 99 Bank Street, Transit # 00236/Account # 101-472-9; and CIBC, Carlingwood Branch – National Institute of Jamaican Canadians Transit # 00206 / Account # 69-06915.
In Toronto, accounts have been opened at: Bank of Montreal – The Consulate General of Jamaica, Transit # 2418 /Account # 8064-589; TD Canada Trust – Jamaican Hurricane Relief Fund Transit # 1020/Account # 0690-526-8137; Scotiabank – Jamaican Diaspora-Canada Disaster Relief Fund, Transit # 50062 / Account # 003-8318; Royal Bank – Jamaican Canadian Association Distress Relief Fund, Transit # 6702 / Account # 107-651-2.
A Hurricane Emergency Relief Committee in Toronto, headed by Consul General Anne-Marie Bonner, has set up drop-off depots for needed items which have been identified by Jamaica’s Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM). These include tarpaulins, flashlights and batteries, hygiene kits, towels and washrags, inflatable mattresses and blankets.
The items will be collected until September 7 and drop-off points are the Jamaican Canadian Association at 995 Arrow Road and Revivaltime Tabernacle, 4340 Dufferin Street (south of Finch) in Toronto.
The High Commission will be organizing two fund-raising activities in Ottawa within the next two months. Details will be posted on the website at www.jhcottawa.ca once arrangements are in place.