Emergency Management Placemat

Key trends and drivers

• Between 2000 and 2020, compared to the previous two decades, Canada experienced:
• 38% Increase in natural disasters
• 400% Increase in recovery costs
• The 2023 fire season was the worst on record, with 15 million hectares burned, compared to the previous average of 2.7 million annually. 2024 again came in above average at 5.2 million hectares burned.
• The total economic impact of Canada's natural disasters in 2024 was estimated at $20 billion.
• Over 40% of ransomware attacks in Canada target critical infrastructure sectors, increasing the risk of catastrophic emergencies.

What's working

• Every $1 invested in pre-disaster mitigation can save between $7 and $13 in post-disaster assistance. The modernized Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements will better support the vulnerable, build resilience, and mitigate future risks.
• Understanding and communicating risk is essential to ensure individuals, governments, and society take action to protect themselves. Initiatives such as the flood risk portal, are critical for governments and people to make informed decisions.
• Acknowledgement of the need to strengthen EM is growing across jurisdictions, resulting in strategic and targeted investments that support increased local and regional response capacity (e.g. creation of civilian response forces in Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia).
• Strengthened relationships with new partners, such as non-governmental and Indigenous organizations, have broadened national EM governance.

Challenges and opportunities

• Shifting geopolitical realities are pressuring Canada to reinforce its domestic emergency management autonomy.
• Systemic response capacity gaps are driven by the lack of adequate investment and limited coordination.
• Expansion of preparedness and response functions across all hazards (natural and human) should encompass national safety and security considerations.
• Insufficient access to accurate and easy-to-understand risk information prevents informed decision-making before, during, and after a crisis.
• The Government of Canada lacks modern tools, supports and authorities to meet growing expectations.
• The federal EM community lacks interoperability due to outdated equipment (e.g. IT systems), and inconsistent approaches to training and professionalization.

Since inception in 1970, 73% of all payments made to provinces and territories under the DFAA program have occurred in the last 10 years.

Date modified:

2025-09-08