Ontario puts $113M in budget to emergency preparedness
Community organizations and municipalities in Ontario could get a piece of $110 million in funding the province has committed over three years for emergency readiness.
The province must ensure first responders and community organizations have the tools, training, systems, co-ordination and funding to help residents, the government said in the budget released Thursday.
"Failure to plan is preparing to fail," the budget said.
"When people need help, they must be assured everything has been done to prepare for the best response possible."
The money will partly go toward an emergency management preparedness grant to help community organizations buy equipment for emergencies, and toward a new emergency response fund.
That fund would be for municipalities, First Nations and communities to provide urgent relief in the first 24 to 72 hours after an emergency happens.
The government said funding could be used to mobilize skilled volunteers, deploy co-ordination teams, and provide equipment and financial assistance.
Officials said the money could be used in a wide range of emergencies, including floods, wildfires, drought or extreme heat.
The emergency readiness money is also being put toward expanding an emergency preparedness program that involves readiness exercises.
As well, it includes annual funding for communities with nuclear "roles and responsibilities" to help them protect people in the event of a nuclear incident.
Ontario's auditor general found in an audit last year that the province should improve its emergency responses, including better delineating roles between the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Provincial Emergency Management Office, local governments and communities.
"The Natural Resources Ministry needs to conduct timely and robust risk assessments for hazards it is assigned to manage — forest fires; floods; drought/low water; dam failures; emergencies involving crude oil and natural gas exploration and production, natural gas and hydrocarbon underground storage, and salt solution mining; erosion; and soil and bedrock instability," Bonnie Lysyk wrote in her audit.
"It also needs to implement a formal and disciplined approach to reviewing its performance during actual and simulated emergencies in order to identify lessons learned and take corrective actions to avoid recurring issues in future emergency response efforts."
A derecho that swept through Ontario and Quebec last year was the most expensive extreme weather event for Canada in 2022. It caused $1 billion in damages, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
The City of Ottawa complained that it was taking too long for the province to reimburse the municipality for its recovery costs.
The derecho, a line of intense, fast-moving windstorms, originated around Sarnia, Ont., on May 21 and travelled north to Quebec, causing 11 deaths, damaging buildings and temporarily forcing many people from their homes.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 23, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Five areas Canada's foreign interference commissioner says needs more investigation
Commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue released her interim report examining foreign election interference on Friday. Here are five elements of the issue that Hogue says she needs to further probe before she can make conclusions or recommendations.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
New weight-loss drug Wegovy not a 'magic bullet,' doctor warns
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Why your airfare may be getting more expensive
Skyrocketing airfare prices are linked to heightened competition and rising food and fuel, according to the CAA.
Manitoba man sentenced to house arrest for keeping fishing tournament funds meant for Children's Hospital Foundation
A Manitoba man who pleaded guilty to keeping the funds raised from an ice-fishing fundraiser for the Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba has been handed a sentence of 18 months house arrest.