ONTARIO 🍁 Ontario Moving Ahead on New Emergency Preparedness and Response Headquarters

Tuesday, 29 April 2025 08:00.AM

- Facility will support public safety and disaster response measures, including Ontario Corps -

The Ontario government has launched a Request for Proposals (RFP) as part of the process to build a new Ontario Emergency Preparedness and Response Headquarters. This new headquarters will be the largest update to Ontario’s emergency command centre in more than 15 years and will support the province’s work to prepare for and respond to all types of disasters, including through the deployment of Ontario Corps.

“This new headquarters is a pivotal part of our plan to modernize emergency management, ensuring a better co-ordinated and enhanced response to emergencies across Ontario,” said Jill Dunlop, Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response. “In the coming weeks, our government is looking forward to working closely with stakeholders and experts to ensure this facility has the capabilities required to support a safe, practiced and prepared Ontario and a resilient and strong emergency response system.”

The new state-of-the-art complex will be a multifaceted, secure centre that will operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days of the year. It will include dedicated training rooms and warehousing and aviation infrastructure and will be built to withstand all types of disasters including earthquakes, tornadoes and floods.
It will also be used to oversee and coordinate Ontario Corps, a group of skilled professionals and volunteers that was announced last December and which the province can deploy to assist communities dealing with natural disasters and other emergencies. Ontario Corps has already been successfully deployed on several occasions, including during the recent ice storm in Central Ontario.

Infrastructure Ontario has launched its RFP for Functional Programming Services, which will determine the exact systems and capabilities the new headquarters will require in order to fulfill its functions. This is the first step in the planning process for the new Ontario Emergency Preparedness and Response Headquarters/Complex. The RFP is available on www.merx.com.

The headquarters will be located on surplus government property on Disco Road in Etobicoke near Toronto Pearson International Airport and provincial highways.

Quick Facts

• The Ministry of Emergency Preparedness and Response was established in March 2025, with Minister Dunlop appointed as its dedicated minister.

• So far this year, 26 local emergencies have been declared. Last year, 33 were declared.

• More than 6,000 Ontario Corps volunteer hours have been performed as part of seven deployments to date. The supports delivered during these emergencies included providing generators and flood barriers to protect critical infrastructure, performing more than 4,240 wellness checks for vulnerable populations, and providing more than 4,280 meals and food hampers.

• Ontario Corps partners also provided critical communication linkages to communities via deployable/mobile internet connection, and provided digital mapping of communities via Remote Piloted Drone operators that gave real time critical infrastructure damage assessment resulting in quicker repair and remediation.

SOURCE: Ontario Ministry of Emergency Preparedness and Response