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There’s a new group in Ontario to help respond to emergencies.
On Friday, Premier Doug Ford announced the creation of “Ontario Corps,” a group that’ll connect volunteers with organizations that help communities experiencing natural disasters and other crises.
The provincial government is accepting applications from potential volunteers online at a new Ontario Corps web page. All Ontario residents 16 and older are eligible to apply. Before a volunteer is enlisted, they must complete a criminal record check and online training, both of which will be free of charge, the site says.
Once someone passes the Ontario Corps’ screening and training, they’ll be listed within a database that its partner organizations can access. Its current partners include the likes of Feed Ontario, the Ontario Search and Rescue Volunteer Association, Salvation Army, GlobalMedic and Team Rubicon Canada.
“Think of Ontario Corps as the structure — the leadership. They set the cadence, they get the call, (and decide) here’s what’s needed where,” Trevor Jones, associate minister of emergency preparedness and response, explained at the announcement.
“Our Ontario Corps partners … they (would) now deploy what they need, based on (volunteers’) experience, training, the skill sets they have, to say this is what we need in a time of need,” Jones added. “And they deploy those in concert with the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre.”
The Provincial Emergency Operations Centre is where Ontario municipalities experiencing an emergency contact the provincial government for extra help. It co-ordinates various organizations that help respond to emergencies in Ontario.
“I want to … encourage everyone — whether you’re a skilled professional or someone who’s just considering getting involved for the first time — to join Ontario Corps, to be part of one of our great partner organizations,” Ford said at a news conference in Toronto. “If you’re interested, I encourage you to visit www.ontario.ca/ontariocorps.”
The government’s website says Ontario Corps volunteers could be asked to help welcome people to emergency shelters, transport equipment, lay sandbags, stock supplies, clean up debris, serve food and more.
Non-governmental organizations and First Nations will also help Ontario Corps co-ordinate emergency responses.
The provincial government has bought supplies, including flood barriers, drones, water pumps, chainsaws and air purifiers to support Ontario Corps’ operations, its news release said.
Ford also revealed the government will build a “state-of-the-art complex” on a surplus government property near the Toronto airport to serve as a new “Ontario Emergency Preparedness and Response Headquarters,” plus a Timmins-based regional response “hub.”
“(The headquarters) will be a centre for co-ordinated enhanced responses to emergencies, with dedicated training rooms, storage, warehousing and aviation infrastructure, built to withstand all types of disasters including earthquakes, tornadoes and floods,” Ford said.
The announcements on Friday are the latest in a series of moves, including the tabling this week of Bill 238 by the Progressive Conservatives on emergency management, which Ford described as meant to “modernize” how the province prepares for and responds to emergencies.
