As the Town of Faro continues to deal with the aftermath of an Oct. 26 shooting which left two dead and one injured, the City of Whitehorse will be donating a $5,000 grant towards those efforts.
At Whitehorse city council’s Nov. 15 meeting, members voted in favour of providing the grant from council’s donation account for the town to use as it “sees fit as part of efforts to support the community as a result of the recent shooting tragedy.”
The vote came forward a week after Coun. Jocelyn Curteanu questioned if there was some way Whitehorse could provide assistance to Faro with other council members voicing their support for administration to look at what might be done.
At that meeting, acting city manager Jeff O’Farrell and Valerie Braga, the city’s director of corporate services, recalled donations of $5,000 from council’s donation account being made each to the Town of Haines, Alaska in 2020 to help deal with a major landslide and to Fort McMurray, Alberta in 2016 to help address fire impact.
Funds went directly to the municipalities to determine the best way of directing the cash.
Council members voiced their support for a similar donation to be made to Faro, with administration bringing it forward for the vote on Nov. 15.
“The recent shooting in Faro, which took the lives of two individuals and injured others has touched all Yukoners,” director of corporate services Valerie Braga told council. “A grant donation to the Town of Faro as a gesture of solidarity and support in the amount of $5,000 has been suggested.”
With the recommendation brought forward, council members quickly raised their hands in favour of the grant.
In a Nov. 16 interview, Faro Mayor Jack Bowers said the town hadn’t yet been informed of the donation, but noted he and others are grateful for the “tremendous support” that is coming in from across the country.
Many communities have been in touch to express their condolences and provide support. Among those, he noted, the Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation volunteered to put on a meal for the community. While that has since been delayed due to the territory’s state of emergency for COVID-19, Bowers said the support is uplifting for the town.
At this point, it’s not known how the donation will be spent, but Bowers said officials will likely reach out to the community and look at where it can be best directed. He noted he knows there are residents who have some outstanding needs such as property damage that came as a result of the shooting.
Bowers noted the town is thankful to all those who have reached out to provide support.
A number of fundraisers are also underway online to help those impacted by the shooting.
Contact Stephanie Waddell at stephanie.waddell@yukon-news.com