When Partners Step In, Communities Are Stronger

As disasters across Canada grow more frequent, severe, and complex, one thing is clear: no single organization can meet the moment alone. Effective disaster response—and real community resilience—are built through strong partnerships that combine shared values, long-term commitment, and a bias for action.

That’s why Team Rubicon Canada is proud to mark a new milestone in our work alongside Aviva Canada, following the announcement of a $250,000 investment to strengthen disaster response, mitigation, and preparedness efforts nationwide.

This support comes as Team Rubicon Canada enters its 10th year of service—a decade defined by climate-driven disasters and increasing demands on communities and the systems designed to support them. From wildfires and floods to ice storms and hurricanes, the need for trained, ready, and locally connected response capacity has never been greater.

Aviva’s investment directly strengthens Team Rubicon Canada’s ability to do what we do best: prepare before disasters strike, respond quickly when they do, and support communities through long-term recovery. The funding enhances operational readiness across the country, including training and deploying our volunteer workforce—Greyshirts—made up of veterans, first responders, and kick-ass civilians who show up when it matters most.

But the value of partnerships like this goes beyond dollars.

“Leadership support from partners like Aviva Canada is critical to building Team Rubicon Canada’s organizational resilience,” says Stephani Baker, Vice President, Development and Communications. “This kind of significant investment strengthens our operational readiness, supports our Greyshirts, and enables long-term planning—translating directly into sustained service delivery for communities, while also inspiring confidence among other donors to invest alongside us.”

That confidence matters. It allows Team Rubicon Canada to plan ahead, train harder, and scale responsibly, ensuring we’re ready to respond at the request of governments and municipalities, and to integrate seamlessly into coordinated disaster response systems across Canada.

For Aviva, the partnership reflects a clear understanding of risk, resilience, and responsibility. As an insurer, Aviva sees firsthand the growing impacts of severe weather on communities coast to coast to coast. By investing in preparedness and response capacity, they’re helping strengthen Canada’s ability to anticipate, withstand, and recover from disasters—before losses escalate and lives are further disrupted.

“Strong partnerships are essential to effective disaster response,” says Mischa Kaplan, Chief Executive Officer of Team Rubicon Canada. “As we mark 10 years of service to Canadian communities, Aviva’s investment allows us to better prepare our volunteers, respond more quickly when disasters strike, and work toward a more coordinated and resilient disaster response system across Canada.”

At its core, this collaboration reflects what Team Rubicon Canada believes to be true: communities are strongest when organizations, governments, and private-sector partners work together—each bringing their expertise to the table.

As disasters continue to test Canada’s resilience, partnerships like this ensure that when communities need help most, there are trained teams ready to step in, shoulder to shoulder, and get to work.