Toronto: Taiwan's representative office in Canada co-hosted a ceremony with the Guatemalan Consulate in Toronto and the Canadian nonprofit Firefighters Without Borders (FWB) to commemorate the donation of firefighting equipment to Guatemala. The event took place at the Guatemalan Consulate in Toronto and was attended by Guatemalan President Bernardo Ar©valo. This collaboration marks the first time Guatemala, Taiwan, and the Canadian NGO have worked together, as stated by Taiwan's top representative in Canada, Harry Tseng.
According to Focus Taiwan, the Canadian NGO donated a 20-foot equivalent unit (TEU) shipping container filled with hoses, helmets, ladders, and other firefighting items. Taiwan covered the shipping costs for this donation. Among the notable attendees of the ceremony were FWB Director of Equipment Simon Smith, Deputy Chief of Ottawa Fire Services Nathan Adams, Ambassador of Guatemala to Canada Guisela Godinez Sazo, Consul General of Guatemala in Toronto Myriam Liseth De la Roca lvarez, and Director of International Relations and Chief of Protocol for the Canadian province of Ontario Veronica Panton.
The donation aims to support efforts against forest fires, similar to those experienced in Guatemala in February 2024, as mentioned by Tseng.