Disability Alliance BC has joined over 260 humanitarian, civil society, faith, and labour organizations in calling on the Government of Canada to: 

• Call for an immediate ceasefire in Israel-Palestine 
• Call for an end to the blockade of Gaza and for the restoration of humanitarian aid and access to the basic necessities of life.

While the temporary ceasefire will provide some relief, it is not enough: a permanent ceasefire and an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine is needed to put an end to widespread loss of life, displacement, and intense suffering.  

We condemn all targeting of innocent Palestinian and Israeli civilians, and the rise of Anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian racism, Islamophobia, and antisemitism in Canada and beyond. Palestinians, Israelis, and all people in the region deserve to live in peace and security and with justice for all. 

We encourage you to: sign a federal petition to the House of Commons, email your MP and political leaders, and join days of action if you’re able.  

Visit https://ceasefirenow.ca/ to learn more. 

DABC will be closed on Monday, October 2^nd, to acknowledge the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. While September 30^th has held this designation for years, this is the first year it is being recognized as a statutory holiday in BC.  

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation honours the children who never made it home from residential schools as well as the Survivors of those “schools,” and acknowledges both this terrible history as well as the ongoing impacts of residential schools and the challenges and injustices that Indigenous communities continue to face. It also encourages the celebration of Indigenous cultures.  

It is based on Orange Shirt Day, which was founded by Phyllis Webstad, a Survivor of residential school. You can learn more about Phyllis and this movement here: https://orangeshirtday.org/phyllis-story/. 

We encourage you to take this day to reflect, learn, and have conversations with people in your orbit. There are many commemorative events across Canada. This article has more information about the day and events across BC: 
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/truth-and-reconciliation-day-1.6981764.  

Disability Alliance BC is saddened to hear about the devastation wrought by the current wildfires happening across BC. We would like to draw attention to the organizations that are supporting wildfire relief, such as the Canadian Red Cross and the United Way’s BC Wildfire Recovery Fund.

DABC will match all staff donations up to a grand total of $1,000 towards the Canadian Red Cross’ BC Wildfires Appeal or another registered charity that is directly supporting people affected by the wildfires happening across our Province. We are mindful that people with disabilities are more adversely affected during emergency situations, and that bringing together a staff-wide donation effort aligns with our values as an organization.

We would also like to highlight the relief efforts for evacuees in Yellowknife, NWT. CanadaHelps has compiled a list of charities providing relief efforts: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/support-the-northwest-territories-wildfire-relief-efforts/.

Our organization has produced many publications over the years that share important information on disability inclusion during emergency response. Find them here: https://disabilityalliancebc.org/category/publications/emergency-prep/.

Please share these publications in your communities; we want to ensure that the unique needs of people with disabilities are not forgotten during this time.