Ontario Increasing Emergency Preparedness in Leeds and Grenville | News Release - March 23

Ontario Increasing Emergency Preparedness in Leeds and Grenville

Province investing in emergency equipment and training to protect communities

“I’m pleased our government is making these investments to help ensure our local municipalities are better prepared to respond in an emergency situation,” said Steve Clark, MPP for Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes. “This funding will support the purchase of generators, equip a Volunteer Emergency Response Team, establish an evacuation centre, prepare for grass and brush fires, and more – all vital initiatives to keep residents safe in severe weather or other emergencies.”

The following municipalities will receive funding through the CEPG program:

Edwardsburgh Cardinal: $50,000 – The project will equip the township with a new natural gas standby generator at the Johnstown Community Centre, ensuring the facility can maintain power and operate as a reliable emergency resource during electrical outages. The project will address energy failures and power disruptions that impact emergency readiness and response, supporting continuity of essential services when outages occur.

Elizabethtown-Kitley: $50,000 – The project will equip the municipality with a generator for its municipal offices, ensuring the Emergency Command Center can maintain reliable power and continue coordinating emergency services when outages occur. The project will address frequent power interruptions that threaten emergency operations, ensuring the centrally located command center can respond to residents and direct critical services across the municipality during emergencies.

Prescott: $50,000 – The project will equip the town with the supplies and resources needed to quickly set up a temporary emergency evacuation centre that can receive evacuees on short notice. The project will address emergencies that require rapid evacuation and sheltering.

North Grenville: $48,919 – The project will equip the municipality with two portable pump packages, a deployable hose cache, hand tools, and wildland PPE to improve safety and speed when responding to grass and brush fires. The project will address rising wildland fire risk from urban expansion and longer fire seasons by enabling faster water supply and more effective equipment.

Leeds and the Thousand Islands: $46,750 – The project will equip the township with updated emergency trailer supplies, a sandbag filling attachment for the loader, battery powered lighting, chainsaws, and road closure equipment such as barriers, beacons, and signage to support faster and safer emergency response. The project will address flooding emergencies, along with damage from windstorms and other severe weather, by improving the township's ability to fill and deploy sandbags efficiently, clear downed trees, and manage traffic during hazardous conditions.

Westport: $46,660 – The project will equip the village with a trained Volunteer Emergency Response Team and woodchipper to support emergency operations. The team will be equipped with safety vests, helmets, and glasses, and training in basic first aid, traffic control and equipment handling. The project will improve the village's ability to manage traffic, assist residents, and maintain safe conditions during severe weather.

Augusta: $40,500 – The project will help install a propane powered backup generator at Fire Station 2 to ensure continuous power during outages. This generator will maintain emergency readiness, allowing firefighters to respond without delay and keep the station fully operational for residents. It will also ensure uninterrupted emergency communications during large-scale events or extended outages. The generator strengthens reliability and continuity of service during power-related emergencies.

“Our government is strengthening the readiness of local communities and organizations to better prepare for any type of emergency,” said Jill Dunlop, Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response. “Whether it’s modernizing an emergency operations centre or investing in a generator to power a warming centre during a winter storm, these investments help to protect communities across Ontario.” 

QUICK FACTS

• The CEPG supports small- to medium-sized municipalities, local services boards, First Nations communities, Tribal Councils and Indigenous service organizations.
• Recipients were selected through a rigorous and competitive review process.
• Since the program launched in 2023, the province has invested $15 million to provide 342 recipients with grants.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Community Emergency Preparedness Grant
• Emergency preparedness