Community Support

On April 24th Canadians were asked to wear red to honour the 22 victims and all of the families and friends affected by the tragic shooting in Nova Scotia.

We wanted to let our team members, who were affected personally by this tragedy, know that they weren’t alone. The G4S team stands strong with Nova Scotia, and we showed our support through the through #WearRedFriday social media campaign. Our team posted pictures of themselves and their families wearing red on social media, including the hashtag #G4SStandsWithNovaScotia.

Thank you to everyone who took time to think about the lives lost and those who are left to grieve during this uncertain time. Together, we’ll come out of this as a stronger team.

This year for Autism Awareness Day we asked our team members across the country to show their support by wearing blue and posting to social media with #lightitupblue. The response was nothing less than amazing.

Peter Panaritis shared his thoughts on why it was important to support this day:

“This is something near and dear to my heart because as you may know, my son, Ioanni, has ASD. He, along with the other children and adults living with Autism are going through something different and challenging right now. With school closures affecting their routines and being away from their peers they are at risk of extreme anxiety and depression and we are seeing this in Ioanni as well. We are doing our best to provide a safe and positive environment for him during this period of uncertainty and the most important thing we can all do is stay positive for him. We continue to engage him in conversations to help ease his anxiety; keep him active - we enjoy walks around the neighbourhood; and encourage social media connections with his extended friends and family. We will get through this, together.”

We had 52 employees “Lightitupblue” by wearing blue in support of World Autism Awareness Day and helping raise $500 for our charity partner, Jake’s House.

On May 18th, The Snowbirds were performing a flyover of Kamloops as part of Operation Inspiration - a salute to frontline workers. We had four Screening Officers working that day at the nearby YKA airport, prior to the flight going out they all stood at the Airport with passengers and the community. Tragically one of the jets crashed, killing RCAF Captain Jennifer Casey. The four screening officers were devastated and shocked by the horrific accident, but demonstrated strength and courage by continuing to work. They not only screened passengers, but talked with them to help process the tragic accident and provide comfort. The flight they were screening was not cancelled and resumed with a small delay due to the closure of Airspace. At Captain Jenn Casey’s memorial, the screening officers laid a wreath and collected money that was donated to the local legions. It was extremely touching to see this group come together and attend this event in full uniform.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, extreme unemployment rates have led to higher demand and dependency on Canada’s food banks. On average, food banks are seeing surges of 30 to 50%, leading to extreme shortages, often running with only a few days’ supplies on hand.

Left: Screening Officers at Captain Casey’s memorial. Above: Snowbirds uniform now on display at YCD as a tribute.

time, G4S Canada donated $25,000 to more than 45 food banks - one in each city we operate. While we hope this will provide many meals to families and people in need, we know food banks will continue to struggle.

Many of us are lucky to continue working throughout this pandemic. There are many who are facing challenges beyond the inconvenience of physical distancing. We hope each and every one of you, who is able, can make a donation to your local food bank as well. You can find one in your area through a simple google search or by going to www.foodbankscanada.ca.

G4S Canada bought 150 “Conquer COVID-19” shirts with all of the proceeds being donated towards providing PPE to healthcare workers and facilities across Canada. A special Thank You goes out to Lindsay Collicott for organizing this effort!

Publisher Peter Panaritis, CEO

Editor at Large Danielle Parney Director, Marketing & Communications

Graphic Design & Layout Copywriter/Contributor Landon Bailey Marketing & Communications Specialist

www.g4s.ca

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