Waste Connections of Canada is hoping to help out the residents of Erie Shore Drive.
The company has set up a GoFundMe page for those impacted by the state of emergency and evacuations. On Monday, residents of 123 properties along the roadway were instructed to leave their homes indefinitely while crews work to mitigate the risk of the dike breaching.
The Ridge Landfill in Blenheim is owned and operated by Waste Connections of Canada. Cathy Smith, project manager with the Ridge Landfill, said the idea of helping out residents is consistent with their corporate culture.
"[The Ridge Landfill] has been in South Kent for over 50 years. Erie Shore Drive is only 10 kilometres from our site. We do have a long history of forging partnerships and contributing to community programs throughout Chatham-Kent," she said.
According to Smith, the money raised will go mainly towards permanent residents that have been impacted by the situation.
"Any of the funds would help support alternative living arrangements that they would have had to make, storage costs for their possessions. So that's the intent, to help offset those costs that clearly were not anticipated," she explained.
Smith said that Waste Connections of Canada has offered the municipality materials and construction equipment to help out with the Erie Shore Drive project. She added that they are also working with the Erie Shore Drive Property Owners' Association to make sure money is distributed properly.
"Clearly they're not living at the address they would otherwise be. So we want to ensure we have the appropriate contact information in order to link the funds from the GoFundMe page," said Smith. "None of us ever know when we ourselves are going to be in need of some kind of support. I would encourage folks in Chatham-Kent to help the evacuees either through the GoFundMe page or by other means."
