Late last year, Premier Doug Ford announced the creation of Ontario Corps.
The government described the organization as “a group of skilled professional and volunteers that the province can deploy to help communities respond to natural disasters and other emergencies, while promoting civic engagement and participation.”
Ontario Corps was inspired by AmeriCorps in the United States.
In the months since the Ford government’s announcement, the province has been working to flesh out what Ontario Corps will look like and has been adding to its list of partner organizations, which originally included groups like Feed Ontario and the Salvation Army.
Last week, the Ford government announced an investment of $10 million in emergency preparedness grants to help strengthen the capabilities of the newly formed Ontario Corps. The announcement also included new information about 13 new partner organizations joining Ontario Corps, which includes Attachment and Trauma Treatment Centre for Healing (ATTCH) Niagara.
The addition of 13 new partner organizations to Ontario Corps, including ATTCH Niagara, brings the total number of partner organizations to 26.
Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response Jill Dunlop outlined the importance of the creation of Ontario Corps and the addition of new partner organizations.
“Under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government is protecting Ontario from all threats – from wildland fires to flooding, ice storms or whatever else may come our way,” said Dunlop.
Thus far, partner organizations have used government funding to buy items like emergency food kits, GPS devices, satellite phones, canteen trucks, portable shelters, training volunteers for drone piloting, and more.
Ontarians can sign up to join Ontario Corps at the following LINK.
Lori Gill, Clinical Director at Attachment and Trauma Treatment Centre for Healing Niagara, released a statement along with the government’s news release.
“At ATTCH Niagara, we witness how trauma impacts individuals and communities daily, especially in times of crisis,” said Gill. “This partnership empowers us to extend our trauma-specialized expertise and support the province’s emergency preparedness and response efforts.”
“Together, we are strengthening the capacity to respond effectively and compassionately, ensuring that those affected by emergencies receive the care they deserve.”
Ontario Corps resources are coordinated and deployed, at the request of a municipality or First Nations community, by the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre. The intention behind Ontario Corps is to deploy specialized equipment and personnel anywhere across Ontario within one to three days of an emergency to help the community with its response efforts.
Jay Goldberg is the Canadian Affairs Manager at the Consumer Choice Center. He previously served as the Ontario Director at the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and a policy fellow at the Munk School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. Jay holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Toronto.
