All municipalities and provincial ministries are required to have an emergency management program. The requirements for these programs are set out in the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. Emergency Management Ontario supports municipalities and ministries in implementing their programs by providing them with advice, assistance, guidelines, training, and other tools.
Effective Emergency Management Programs are based on the five pillars of emergency management:
- Prevention
- Mitigation
- Preparedness
- Response
- Recovery
Prevention
Actions taken to stop an emergency or disaster from occurring, such as land-use planning to keep development away from floodplains.
Mitigation
Measures taken to reduce the severity, impact, or consequences of a potential emergency, such as building stronger infrastructure or creating fuel breaks for wildfires.
Preparedness
Activities and plans established in advance to ensure an effective response, including training, public education, resource mapping, and developing emergency plans.
Response
Efforts during or immediately after an emergency to save lives and protect property, such as evacuations, emergency alerts, and search and rescue operations.
Recovery
Actions taken to restore a community to its pre-disaster state or better, including repairing infrastructure, providing financial assistance, and offering counseling.
Learn more about Emergency Management Legislation:
Real-world example - Exercise Trillium Response
Exercise Trillium Response took place in January, 2026, marking a resounding success in regional emergency preparedness and inter-agency coordination. The multi-day exercise brought together municipal, provincial, federal, and non-governmental partners to test and strengthen emergency response capabilities in a realistic, high-pressure training environment.
SDG Counties, in collaboration with the City of Cornwall, led local aspects of Exercise Trillium Response, which exercised the strengths of local and provincial emergency management systems and identified great value in strong partnerships across all levels. Every local municipality in SDG Counties participated in the exercise.