Emergency management in Canada

Emergency management in Canada is the coordinated set of policies, programs, and practices used to reduce disaster risks and to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies. Canada follows an all-hazards approach that integrates governments, Indigenous partners, NGOs, the private sector, and the public.

At a glance — Emergency management in Canada

Federal lead department	Public Safety Canada
Core legislation / frameworks	Emergency Management Act (2007); Federal Emergency Response Plan (FERP); National Risk Profile; Canada’s commitments to the UN Sendai Framework
Financial assistance	Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA) for large events; mitigation & resilience funding through federal–provincial programs
Operational systems	Incident Command System (ICS Canada); Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs); Mutual aid / inter-operability
Public alerting	Alert Ready (wireless/TV/radio); Environment and Climate Change Canada weather alerts; provincial/territorial portals

Roles and responsibilities

Federal

Public Safety Canada coordinates national policy, federal preparedness, and whole-of-government response under the FERP; supports provinces/territories (P/Ts) and critical-infrastructure protection.
Federal departments manage hazards in their mandates (e.g., Environment and Climate Change Canada for weather, Public Health Agency of Canada for public-health emergencies, Transport Canada for transportation safety).
The Canadian Armed Forces may assist civil authorities during major events (e.g., floods, wildfires) when requested.
The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security leads federal cyber-incident advice and coordination.

Provinces and territories

P/Ts hold primary responsibility for emergencies within their borders, including legislation, alerts, evacuation orders, and support to municipalities and First Nations within their jurisdiction. Each P/T maintains an emergency management organization (EMO) and provincial/territorial operations centre.

Municipalities and Indigenous governments

Municipalities operate local emergency programs, 911/dispatch, and first responders. Indigenous governments and communities lead EM on their lands, in partnership with P/Ts, the federal government, and NGOs.

Emergency-management cycle

Canada organizes EM around four linked activities:

Prevention and mitigation – reduce risk (e.g., flood mapping, FireSmart, seismic retrofits).
Preparedness – plans, training, exercises, public education, stockpiles.
Response – incident command, resource coordination, public alerting, mutual aid.
Recovery – re-entry, debris management, psychosocial supports, rebuilding, after-action improvements.

Governance, plans, and risk

Emergency Management Act (2007): sets federal roles and P/T cooperation.
Federal Emergency Response Plan (FERP): outlines how federal departments coordinate support to P/Ts and affected communities.
National Risk Profile (NRP): a federal assessment of priority hazards (e.g., wildfires, floods, earthquakes, extreme heat, cyber incidents).
Critical infrastructure: collaborative risk management across sectors such as energy, communications, finance, transportation, water, health, safety, food, and government services.

Operations and interoperability

Incident Command System (ICS Canada): common structure for on-scene management (Incident Commander, Command/General Staff, IAPs, operational periods).
Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs): coordinate multi-agency support, information, and resource requests; scale from municipal to provincial/federal.
Mutual aid and logistics: resource sharing through inter-jurisdictional agreements, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (wildland fire), NGOs, and private sector support.
Information management: situation reports, public-information officers, Joint Information Centres, and official-languages communications.

Public alerting and information

Alert Ready delivers urgent wireless/TV/radio alerts (e.g., evacuation orders, AMBER Alerts, tornado warnings).
Weather watches/warnings are issued by ECCC; additional advisories come from P/T portals, municipal systems, Parks Canada bulletins, Earthquakes Canada, and Avalanche Canada.

Financial assistance and mitigation

Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA): reimburses eligible P/T recovery costs after severe events beyond local capacity.
Additional mitigation/resilience funding is delivered through time-limited or program-based federal initiatives with P/Ts and municipalities (e.g., flood-risk reduction, wildfire resilience, climate adaptation). Program names and criteria change over time; check current calls for proposals.

Community and NGO partners

Canadian emergency management relies on partnerships with organizations such as the Canadian Red Cross (shelter/reception, family reunification), Salvation Army, St. John Ambulance, volunteer Search and Rescue teams, amateur-radio groups, and many local NGOs and community associations.

Typical Canadian hazards (examples)

Wildfires and smoke; river/flash/coastal flooding; extreme heat and cold; severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hail; winter storms and blizzards; hurricanes/post-tropical storms; landslides/avalanches; earthquakes (BC coast, St. Lawrence/Charlevoix); hazardous-materials incidents; cyber incidents; public-health emergencies.

Personal and business preparedness

Households: maintain a 72-hour kit, family communication plan, and copies of important documents; know evacuation routes and local alert channels.
Businesses: continuity plans (people, facilities, IT), backup power and data, supplier contingencies, and staff communication trees.

External links (official)

Public Safety Canada — Emergency management: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/
Federal Emergency Response Plan (FERP) — overview: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/ (search: FERP)
Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA): https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/ (search: DFAA)
Get Prepared (household readiness): https://www.getprepared.gc.ca/
Canadian Disaster Database / open data: https://open.canada.ca/ (search: Canadian Disaster Database)
ICS Canada (Incident Command System): https://icscanada.ca/
Weather alerts (ECCC): https://weather.gc.ca/warnings