Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) is the province’s newest Partner in Preparedness, a retail and marketing program meant to help people build household emergency kits.
The outdoor recreation retailer will now have “get good and ready” signs and information in their B.C. stores, including recommendations for what to purchase for grab-and-go bags.
Jennifer Rice, parliamentary secretary for emergency preparedness, announced the new partnership in Kelowna during Emergency Preparedness Week, on May 10 at the MEC Orchard Park location.
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“This means people in B.C. now have another option for one-stop shopping for their emergency kits, making it easier for families to be prepared for any situation,” Rice said of the new partnership with MEC.
Rice, who is also the MLA for the North Coast, made the announcement alongside Jennifer McLarty, manager of public education for PreparedBC, and Jake Mackenzie, a MEC staff person.
McLarty told the Capital News a prefab kit for a four-person household is estimated to cost between $200 and $300, but “you have to think about customizing.”
For a list of what an emergency kit needs, she said, visit the PreparedBC website.
Rice added she was able to build a budget kit for less than $50 by shopping at her local dollar store.
“That doesn’t include my prescriptions and anything special,” she said. “Just the basics for less than $50 at Dollarama.”
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Following the announcement, PreparedBC staff held free emergency preparedness clinics on-site for the public throughout the day.
Similar free clinics will be held at the MEC locations in Vancouver and Victoria on May 11, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Partners in Preparedness program launched in May 2018 and now includes eight B.C. retailers: MEC, London Drugs, Save-On-Foods, BCAA, SOS Emergency Response Technologies, Tofino Co-op, Total Prepare and Ucluelet Co-op.
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