Province putting more money into Emergency Preparedness and Response: New HQ to be built

By Pepper Parr

December 13^th, 2025

BURLINGTON, ON

You have probably not heard about the Ontario Corps.  It was created late in 2024 to  help communities and neighbours in need deal with natural disasters and other emergencies, while providing additional resources to keep our communities safe.

The Ontario government has determined that the Corps needs a new, state-of-the-art Emergency Preparedness and Response Headquarters, which will also serve as the future home of Ontario Corps. At the functional programming stage of planning, prior to the actual design of the facility, its specific functions, activities and operational requirements were determined.

Currently, an empty field close to Pearson airport the structure will serve as a command centre for major emergencies across the province. n No mention as to how the command centre might link to the armed services.

Strategically located on 17 acres near Toronto Pearson Airport and major 400 series highways, this facility will be equipped with cutting-edge technology needed to protect Ontario as the 24/7, year-round emergency command centre.

“This new command centre will help us protect communities across Ontario with faster, more coordinated responses whenever emergencies happen, ensuring help gets to the people who need it most,” said Premier Doug Ford. “With a modern home for Ontario Corps, we’re making sure these volunteers and everyday heroes have the tools they need to carry out their critical operations and keep people safe.”

In 2025, Ontario Corps volunteers contributed more than 6,000 hours delivering emergency relief, including supporting wildfire evacuations, erecting flood barriers, delivering wellness checks and providing meals in communities across the province.  The Ontario’s Emergency Preparedness and Response teams dealt with one of the busiest and most demanding emergency flood and wildfire seasons on record in 2025.

The government consulted with stakeholders and industry experts to inform the design and construction of the new headquarters. The headquarters and emergency command centre will be purpose-built to withstand all hazards, with state-of-the-art facilities to bring faster, smarter and more coordinated support to communities across the province.

Jill Dunlop, Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response SAID:  “That means investing in a modern headquarters designed for future challenges and enabling more effective, coordinated and enhanced emergency response.”

The new headquarters is part of the government’s more than $220 billion plan to build, repair and expand critical infrastructure across the province. The first part of getting the building to the point where construction can start, WZMH Architects is being awarded the systems and capabilities functional programming contract, with work to be completed in 2026.

Families evacuated in Northern Ontario during out-of-control wildfires.

So far this year, 42 local emergencies have been declared. Last year at this time, 29 were declared.

Ministry of Emergency Preparedness and Response Field Officers were deployed for a combined 1,068 days so far in 2025, supporting and coordinating on-the-ground response for emergency events such as the 2025 wildland fire evacuations.

The province coordinated the evacuation of 6,080 people from First Nation communities in Ontario under threat of wild land fires and hosted 2,307 evacuees from Manitoba.

Ontario Corps has been successfully deployed on several occasions this year, including during the 2025 wildland fire response and the 2025 spring ice storm.

Related news story:

Ontario Corps created.