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| Ontario Emergency Management Act, 2006 | |
|---|---|
| Name | Ontario Emergency Management Act, 2006 |
| Enacted by | Legislative Assembly of Ontario |
| Enacted | 2006 |
| Status | in force |
Ontario Emergency Management Act, 2006.
The Ontario Emergency Management Act, 2006 is a provincial statute that modernized statutory frameworks for emergency preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery in Ontario and aligned provincial arrangements with federal and international frameworks such as the Public Safety Canada agenda, the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, and elements of the Emergency Management Act (Canada). It replaced earlier provincial instruments and informed municipal, provincial and sectoral planning across institutions including the Ministry of the Solicitor General (Ontario), the Ontario Provincial Police, the Toronto Police Service, the Hospital for Sick Children, and the Ontario Power Generation sectors.
The Act was introduced after reviews involving stakeholders such as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canadian Red Cross, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority and representatives from the City of Toronto and other municipalities, following lessons from incidents like the 2003 North America blackout and lessons drawn from responses to the SARS outbreak and the Ice Storm of 1998. Debates in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and analysis by policy bodies including the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction and the Conference Board of Canada shaped provisions that succeeded earlier frameworks such as the emergency management provisions within the Municipal Act, 2001 and precedents from the Emergency Measures Act (Ontario).
The statute sets out objectives for protecting persons and property in emergencies across jurisdictions including municipalities like the City of Ottawa, Indigenous communities such as Six Nations of the Grand River, and sectoral entities including Ontario Hydro and the Canadian National Railway. It frames provincial powers in relation to federal legislation like the Emergencies Act (Canada) and international obligations reflected in accords such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. The scope covers natural hazards (for example Great Lakes storm events), technological incidents involving organizations like Ontario Power Generation, and public health events involving health bodies like Public Health Ontario and hospitals such as Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
Key provisions establish authorities for the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and the Premier of Ontario in coordination with ministers such as the Minister of the Solicitor General (Ontario), directing entities including the Ontario Provincial Police, municipal councils like the Toronto City Council, and crown agencies including Ontario Health and Hydro One. The Act mandates creation of emergency management programs, authorizes orders, and sets out powers related to requisitioning property, evacuations, and controlling facilities used by agencies such as the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Forces Military Police. It also integrates coordination mechanisms with federal partners including Public Safety Canada and provincial counterparts like the Ministry of Health (Ontario).
The legislation delineates responsibilities for provincial ministers, municipal heads of council such as mayors in cities like Hamilton, Ontario, and emergency management coordinators often affiliated with organizations including the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. It assigns duties to institutions such as the Toronto Transit Commission for continuity, to health agencies like Trillium Health Partners for surge capacity, and to infrastructure operators such as Metrolinx for critical infrastructure protection. Indigenous authorities such as the Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians and sectoral bodies like the Ontario Hospital Association are engaged through prescribed planning and coordination roles.
The Act requires municipal emergency plans, multi-jurisdictional plans for provincial ministries like the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario, and sector-specific plans for utilities such as Hydro One and transport operators like Toronto Pearson International Airport. It mandates exercises, training and public education involving actors such as the Canadian Red Cross, the St. John Ambulance, and first responders including the Toronto Fire Services, with reporting and plan submission obligations that parallel standards promoted by organizations like the Canadian Risk and Hazards Network.
Provisions govern declarations of emergency by municipal councils including in municipalities like Peel Region, and by the provincial executive via instruments linked to the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and orders issued by the Premier of Ontario. Declared emergencies permit measures such as evacuation orders, commandeering of goods and premises, and requisition of services from private entities such as VIA Rail under controlled conditions, with coordination required with federal assets including the Canadian Armed Forces during complex incidents like large-scale floods or pandemics.
The Act incorporates requirements for documentation, after-action reporting and reviews involving bodies such as the Ontario Ombudsman, judicial review through courts like the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, and legislative scrutiny by committees of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario including standing committees. Independent reviews by institutions such as the Auditor General of Ontario and inquiries modeled after public inquiries like the Walkerton Inquiry inform amendments and periodic modernization to align with evolving standards from entities such as the World Health Organization and the International Civil Defence Organization.
Category:Ontario law