Ontario announces $10M in funds to improve emergency response

CBC

21-07-2025

Ontario announced $10 million in funds to improve its emergency response capabilities, just months after the province was hit with a major ice storm and wildfires.
The money will ensure communities are better prepared to respond to local emergencies and have resources, such as debris removal tools, machinery, flood barriers, food services, and drones, that can be deployed at a moment's notice, said the province's minister of emergency preparedness and response.
"The government is protecting Ontario from all threats, from wildland fires to flooding, ice storms or whatever else may come our way," said Jill Dunlop at a news conference Monday.
The announcement comes after hundreds of thousands of Ontarians were left without power after a powerful ice storm swept across the province in late March. Emergency crews worked for over a week removing downed trees and debris and restoring power in the area.
Hydro One said at the time that the storm was the most severe weather event the utility had faced since the ice storm of 1998.
Environment Canada warned last year that Canadians should be prepared for more extreme weather events triggered by human-caused climate change.
Thousands of Ontarians still without power after ice storm
4 months ago
Hundreds of thousands of Ontarians are still without power after an ice storm swept across the province over the weekend. CBC's Clara Pasieka speaks to residents in Peterborough, Ont., about how they are coping.
Last week, Toronto was ranked among the worst in the world for air quality due to smoke from forest fires over northern Ontario and the Prairies.
The area burned by wildfires so far this season is the second-largest on record in Canada, government data shows. Wildfires have consumed 3.7 million hectares this year, which is six times the area of Prince Edward Island.
Ontario organizations providing support
Dunlop also announced Monday that the province is working with 13 Ontario partners to support local emergency responses. These include First Nations partners and non-governmental organizations, like Feed Ontario, GlobalMedic, Habitat for Humanity, and Salvation Army.
The 13 partners will join the Ontario Corps, a province-wide group of skilled professionals and trained volunteers that the province can deploy to help communities respond to natural disasters and other emergencies.
The province said that Ontario Corps was deployed during the ice storm, providing tree-clearing services, meals and food hampers, supporting evacuation reception centres, and conducting wellness checks.
"Without the help of our Ontario Corps partners, the restoration efforts from the ice storm would have been far less effective," said Dunlop.
Ontario Corps has also been providing support to the communities affected by the wildfires this year, she said.
One of the organizations joining the Ontario Corps is Team Rubicon Canada, a humanitarian organization that assists communities before, during, and after disasters and crises.
The organization's chief operating officer said he's happy to join the initiative and to work to build a more "prepared, practiced, and resilient" Ontario.