BC United wildfire donation page draws NDP ire

As many British Columbians show their support for those affected by wildfires through donations, one party’s efforts to raise funds has led to a new round of political sparring.

BC United is being criticized by the NDP for the way it has been collecting donations for the Red Cross, with the New Democrats claiming that the page the opposition set up “collects personal information of donors for partisan purposes.”

“This is reprehensible. Kevin Falcon and his party are exploiting this crisis and the generosity of British Columbians to harvest their personal information,” said BC NDP MLA Ravi Parmar. “We shouldn’t need to tell Kevin Falcon that the worst wildfire season in our history isn’t an opportunity to help himself or his party.”

The link to the donation page was shared Thursday by both the BC United leader and the party’s social media accounts, with more than $3,000 raised as of noon Friday.

???? BC is facing devastating fires, displacing families with little warning.

Join us in supporting relief efforts by donating to @redcrosscanada. Your contributions help immediate and ongoing relief, recovery and resilience efforts.

Donate today: https://t.co/qrZdEqjj4H pic.twitter.com/l002mGmFUU

— BC United (@voteBCUnited) August 24, 2023

BC United is refuting any claims that it is using the donations “to harvest personal information.”

“BC United is proud to partner with the Canadian Red Cross in raising vital funds for supplies and relief efforts amid a devastating wildfire season,” a statement posted by BC United Friday afternoon reads.

The opposition says its fundraiser is about helping those in need. It is calling the NDP’s criticism a “petty partisan attack” that is “incredibly disheartening.”

“To suggest the Canadian Red Cross is enabling data mining efforts is reprehensible,” BC United adds. “This baseless attack diverts attention and resources from the Canadian Red Cross and those impacted by wildfires.”

The NDP says the specialized BC United page for Red Cross donations “includes the logo of BCUP and the amount raised through this online feature.”

“A potential donor would have to submit their name, address, cell phone number and email address. Below the personal information fields, the micro-site includes an indication regarding how that information can be collected by the BCUP: ‘In making your donation you are consenting to the Canadian Red Cross disclosing your donation information to BC United,'” the New Democrats continue.

But BC United is stressing the goal of this isn’t to collect personal information. As such, the party says it’s asked the Red Cross to “take time out of their busy day to remove the default line found on all donor microsites that enables emails to be shared so as not to distract from the from the important fundraising we are doing on behalf of the Canadian Red Cross.”

“We are deeply disappointed that the NDP have caused additional work for the Canadian Red Cross staff who are not only having to change the standard website form but are, in the midst of a devastating wildfire situation, now fielding calls from the media following up on the NDP’s disingenuous News Release attacking them and their vital work.”

Official BC United Statement on Red Cross Donations pic.twitter.com/ZRp4b0PY9l

— BC United (@voteBCUnited) August 25, 2023

Speaking with CityNews, Parmar, who is the NDP MLA for Langford-Juan de Fuca, says BC United should not have created its own micro-page to begin with.

“What I would typically say is, it’s an admirable thing in terms of trying to raise funding through the Red Cross, but to do so in a way in which they’re … collecting personal information for political gain? I think that’s reprehensible, and I am calling on Kevin Falcon not only to stop this practice but also to apologize to all British Columbians,” he said.

But BC United MLA Todd Stone says the NDP’s allegations are “ridiculous,” adding the micro-page was actually created by the Red Cross for the party.

“This is the initiative of the Red Cross, this is how the Red Cross does it,” he told CityNews.

BC United’s move to address the controversy isn’t appeasing the New Democrats either. Parmar says the “simple solution” would be for Falcon to not only apologize, but close the micro-site and “encourage people to make donations to the Red Cross website.”

“I made a donation, it was quick and easy, and I did so in a way in which the BC United will not collect my personal information. And I’m urging my friends and family, and constituents in Langford-Juan de Fuca, and all British Columbians to do the same. I think if the BC United Party wanted to do an admirable thing, and that is collect donations for the Red Cross and urge people to make donations, they should have just referenced the initial website in the first place and pointed people there instead of using this as an opportunity to micro-target and potentially solicit people’s information for political gain,” Parmar said.

But as the NDP calls for Falcon to apologize, BC United is turning the focus back on the New Democrats, saying it’s Premier David Eby who should actually be saying sorry.

“The only person who owes an apology here is David Eby for authorizing this attack and, frankly, Ravi Parmar needs to step back and recognize — I think he will in the coming days — that he looks awfully foolish for being the point man on the NDP’s side to have launched this attack in the first place,” said Stone, who represents Kamloops-South Thompson and is the opposition House Leader.

He calls the NDP’s claims a “baseless partisan attack,” adding the suggestion that the BC United fundraiser has any other intention than to support the Red Cross is “disingenuous.”

Stone says BC United will only be using information provided by donors to send a thank you note, unless they’ve checked off the box consenting to the sharing of information by the Red Cross.

“It’s not the time to be playing politics and that’s exactly our point. Here we go, through the Red Cross, and having microsite set up by the Red Cross as per the templates and tools that the Red Cross uses, this is the standard approach that the Red Cross does with all kinds of organizations,” he said.

“We will raise more (money) in the days ahead and what do the NDP do? They look at this and decide to launch an attack, a partisan attack, in the middle of the wildfire season about an effort to raise funds to support people that have been hit the hardest by these very wildfires.”

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BC United plans to continue fundraising for wildfire relief efforts, Stone adds.

Anyone looking to make a donation to the Red Cross’ wildfire relief efforts can do so on the organization’s website.

The Red Cross says funds raised will go toward “immediate and ongoing relief, recovery, and resilience efforts.”

“Donations may also be used for preparedness and risk reduction for future all-hazard disaster events within British Columbia,” the group adds.