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.

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 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 says funding could be used to mobilize skilled volunteers, deploy co-ordination teams, and provide equipment and financial assistance.

Officials say 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.