Emergency Management Modernization Act, 2025

SUMMARY FROM THE OFFICIAL REGISTRY

What you need to know

SCHEDULE 1 EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND CIVIL PROTECTION ACT The Schedule amends the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act . The Act is amended to add a purpose provision in section 0.1, and to remove references to the Solicitor General and replace them with references to the Minister, as defined. As well, a new definition of “emergency management” is added to section 1. The Act is also amended to add headings and to make a number of minor corrections. Various amendments are made to the Act respecting emergency management governance, roles and responsibilities: 1. Section 2 is re-enacted to set out significant aspects of the Minister’s powers, duties and functions under the Act. The Minister may delegate powers, duties and functions to the Commissioner of Emergency Management. Under the re-enacted section 2.0.1, the Minister is responsible for developing and maintaining a provincial emergency management strategy that outlines strategic emergency management objectives for the Province. 2. A new section 2.0.2 continues the office of the Commissioner of Emergency Management and sets out significant aspects of the Commissioner’s powers, duties and functions. The Commissioner is required to establish an advisory committee to provide advice on the co-ordination of emergency management. The Commissioner is also required to co-ordinate the deployment or use of personnel, services, equipment, materials and facilities that are available to the Commissioner to support emergency management, to be known as “Ontario Corps”. The Commissioner may delegate powers, duties and functions to a public servant. 3. The office of the Chief, Emergency Management Ontario is removed from the Act. 4. A provincial emergency management organization that forms part of the Minister’s Ministry is mandated under the new section 2.0.3, to assist the Minister in the co-ordination of emergency management in Ontario. 5. Under the new section 2.0.4, an advisory committee of the Executive Council is established statutorily. 6. Section 6.2 of the current Act, which requires that emergency plans developed under the Act be submitted to the Chief, Emergency Management Ontario, is repealed. Instead, a new section 9.1 is added to the Act. The new section requires every entity that must develop an emergency plan under the Act to submit a copy of it to the Minister. The Minister may require information on emergency management programs and emergency plans to be submitted to the Minister and, if the Minister is satisfied that a program or plan does not meet the requirements of the Act, the Minister may issue a directive requiring the program or plan to be modified. 7. A new section 9.2 permits the Minister to issue guidelines respecting the development or implementation of emergency management programs and emergency plans, or any other matter related to emergency management. Various other amendments are made to the Act respecting emergency management under the Act by municipalities, provincial entities and other specified entities. Emergency plans are also renamed “emergency management plans”. 1. Section 2.1, which requires municipalities to develop and implement an emergency management program, is amended so that regulations made under the Act can set out rules respecting their development and implementation. Subsection 2.1 (1) specifies that a municipality’s emergency management program must contain an emergency management plan, in addition to anything else required under the Act. The re-enacted section 3 addresses the requirements of the emergency management plan that forms part of a municipality’s emergency management program. 2. Similarly, section 5.1, which requires ministers of the Crown and designated government entities (as defined in section 1) to develop and implement an emergency management program, is amended so that regulations made under the Act can set out rules respecting their development and implementation. And subsection 5.1 (1) specifies that these programs must contain an emergency management plan. The re-enacted section 6 addresses requirements of the emergency management plan that forms part of a minister’s or designated government entity’s emergency management program. 3. A re-enacted section 6.2 of the Act provides authority for the Lieutenant Governor in Council to require specified entities that operate or provide critical infrastructure to develop and implement an emergency management program, an emergency management plan or both, in accordance with the regulations. 4. The re-enacted section 6.0.1 requires the Lieutenant Governor in Council to develop and issue a provincial emergency management planning framework that contains the information listed in the section. All emergency management plans under the Act must conform with this planning framework. 5. The regulation-making authority necessary to support the amendments respecting emergency management are contained in the re-enacted section 14.