01-40_WC_149_JUL-AUG26_PT - Flipbook - Page 14
DRINKING WATER
Canned water and more
First, here are the basics of Ontario’s disaster
response and water delivery. In that province,
emergency water delivery is handled by
Ontario Corps, a network of private industry
partners and volunteers created in 2024 that
can be deployed anywhere in the province. One
of these partners is Team Rubicon Canada, a
charity involving military veterans and civilians
that helps communities before, during and
after disasters.
“Labattishonouredtobeoneofthe昀椀rstprivate-sector
organizationstobecomeanOntarioCorpspartner.
Itrepresentsanaturalevolutionoftheworkalreadyin
place,expandingsupportbeyondcanneddrinkingwater
intoamorecoordinatedemergencyresponsee昀昀ort.”
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WATER C AN ADA • JULY/AUGUS T 2026
During the summer of 2025, Labatt donated 40,000 cans of water to Ontario’s
Pikangikum First Nation, where a wild昀椀re forced about 2,000 people from
their homes.
response system,” says Cooper, “strengthening how quickly
and effectively support can be delivered to communities when
it’s needed most.”
In terms of plans to partner similarly in other provinces, she
notes that Labatt’s Disaster Relief Program is already in place
to support communities across Canada, and works collaboratively with governments at all levels. “We welcome opportunities to explore partnerships that help best support communities,” Cooper says.
From the start of the Labatt Disaster Relief Program in
2012 to early 2026, Labatt has donated more than 1.1 million
cans of emergency drinking water to Canadian communities.
WATERCANADA.NE T
Camille Cote-Begi
In February 2026, the Ontario government
welcomed its newest partner to the Ontario
Corps, Labatt Breweries of Canada. “We’re
always identifying new partnerships and
opportunities to strengthen our capacity to
ensure Ontario is safe, practiced and prepared,”
explains Ontario’s Minister of Emergency
Preparedness and Response Jill Dunlop. “As an
Ontario Corps partner, Labatt may be called
on during wildland fires, floods and other
emergencies to donate supplies and resources
to impacted communities such as cans of clean drinking water,
trucks, drivers, cardboard boxes, forklifts, pallets, refrigeration
facilities as well as access to large facilities. The company also has
the capabilities to retool its machines to produce hand sanitizer
and other essentials in the event of an emergency.”
For its part, “Labatt is honoured to be one of the first private-sector organizations to become an Ontario Corps partner,”
says Kirsten Cooper, Labatt’s senior communications director.
“It represents a natural evolution of the work already in place,
expanding support beyond canned drinking water into a more
coordinated emergency response effort.” As mentioned by Minister Dunlop, through this new partnership, Labatt can now mobilize additional resources during emergencies, such as trucks and
refrigeration facilities, alongside its existing water production and
supply capabilities. “The result is a more integrated and efficient
