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Government of Canada launches Emergency Preparedness Public Awareness campaign

March 10, Ottawa — The federal government is rolling out a new campaign to help communicate to the public the need to be prepared for natural disasters and hazards such as flooding, storms, and wildfires.

The campaign aims to protect Canadians, their homes, and their communities by focusing on concrete actions that they can take to better prepare against the risk of natural disasters and emergencies. Public Safety Canada is also renewing its Flood Ready public awareness campaign in March, which focuses on preparing Canadians for flooding.

Canada’s expansive geography, diverse topography and contrasting climates bring a range of natural hazards that often vary from region to region. Only one in ten Canadians have taken steps to reduce the risk of their home being affected by a weather-related emergency or natural disaster, reported the Government of Canada in a news release. Building awareness and understanding of disaster risks is an important priority under the Emergency Management Strategy for Canada: Toward a Resilient 2030 and aligns with the government’s recent commitment to develop a national climate change adaptation strategy, in which Public Safety Canada and other federal departments like Natural Resources Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada will play a key role. In January 2019, the ministers responsible for emergency management approved the Emergency Management Strategy for Canada: Toward a Resilient 2030. The strategy established five priority areas of activity in order to strengthen the resilience of Canada by 2030, including a priority to improve understanding of disaster risks in all sectors of society which will be supported by this national advertising campaign.

“The Government of Canada is proud to launch a national public awareness campaign on the importance of emergency preparedness. This emergency preparedness campaign will encourage people to learn about the risks they face in their area and encourage all Canadians to act to mitigate these risks, said Hon. Bill Blair, minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

The campaign will be rolled out on digital platforms in March, followed by a second phase this spring and summer with radio ads. More information and steps Canadians can take to prepare themselves can be found on Get Prepared.