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
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.