Fact sheet
Community of Toronto (CMA), Ontario Fact sheet
Community of Toronto (CMA), Ontario

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In 2014, information on the emergency preparedness of people living in the Census Metropolitan Area^Note 1 of Toronto was collected through the Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada (SEPR).^Note 2 This fact sheet presents information on the risk awareness and level of emergency preparedness of the residents of Toronto, which could help improve the understanding of community resilience in the event of an emergency.^Note 3^Note 4

Risk awareness and anticipated sources of help in an emergency or disaster

Winter storms (including blizzards, ice storms and extreme cold) (93%), extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (81%) and heat waves (58%) were named by residents of Toronto as the events most likely to occur in their community.
Residents most commonly anticipated turning to news on the radio as an initial source for help and information if they were faced with an industrial or transportation accident (32%) or a weather-related emergency or natural disaster (30%) (Table 1.1). News on the television was listed by residents as the most commonly anticipated source of initial help and information in the event of an act of terrorism or terrorist threat (37%) or in the event of rioting or civil unrest (31%).
Residents most frequently stated a hospital, clinic, doctor or other medical professional as the anticipated first source of information or assistance in the event of an outbreak of a serious illness or life-threatening disease (40%). In the event of a contamination or shortage of water or food, residents most commonly said they would first seek information or assistance from local government (27%), and in the event of an extended power outage, residents anticipated first turning to their utility company (30%).

Prior lifetime experience with a major emergency or disaster^Note 5

Approximately half (52%) of Toronto residents have personally experienced a major emergency or disaster in Canada in a community where they were living at the time of the event. For most (78%), the emergency or disaster was significant enough to have resulted in severe disruptions to their daily activities.
Extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (62%) and winter storms (including blizzards and ice storms) (42%) were the most commonly experienced emergencies or disasters by residents of Toronto.
The most frequently endured types of disruption to daily activities by residents who experienced emergencies or disasters included an inability to use electrical appliances (78%), an inability to heat or cool their home (61%), having to miss work or school (58%), as well as having to boil water for drinking or drink bottled water (55%). More serious disruptions experienced were home evacuations experienced by one-quarter (25%) of people faced with an emergency or disaster, as well as an inability to use roads or transportation within the community (21%) or communicate outside of the home (10%^{Note E: Use with caution}).
Approximately nine in ten (92%) residents who experienced an emergency or disaster were able to resume their daily activities within one week of the event, with just over half (53%) in two days or less.
Half (49%) of residents who had experienced an emergency or disaster received help during or immediately following the event, many of whom turned to family (35%) for the help, followed by neighbours (29%^{Note E: Use with caution}) and friends (15%^{Note E: Use with caution}).
Three in ten (30%) residents of Toronto who experienced a major emergency or disaster in Canada in a community where they were living at the time of the event and which was severe enough to disrupt their regular daily activities also endured a loss of property or some kind of a financial impact. In addition, enduring some sort of long-term emotional or psychological impact was reported by nearly one in ten (8%^{Note E: Use with caution}) residents.

Emergency planning, precautionary and fire safety behaviours

Three-quarters (74%) of Toronto residents lived in a household that engaged in at least two emergency planning activities,^Note 6 with half (48%) living in a household with three or four such activities (Table 1.2). Close to one in ten (8%) people in Toronto lived in a household that had not participated in any emergency planning activities.
Close to half (48%) of Toronto residents lived in a household with at least two precautionary measures^Note 7 taken in case of an emergency, with close to one-quarter (21%) living in a household with three or four such measures. Conversely, two in ten residents (20%) lived in a household with no precautionary measures in place.
The majority (98%) of residents reported living in a household with a working smoke detector, while over half (56%) reported living in a household with a working fire extinguisher (Table 1.3). Approximately eight in ten (82%) stated that they had a working carbon monoxide detector in their household. Close to half (48%) of Toronto residents stated that they had implemented all three fire safety measures within their household.
The number of emergency planning activities put in place by residents of Toronto did not significantly differ from residents of Ontario overall or residents of Canada’s 10 provinces. When considering precautionary measures, however, Toronto residents were more likely to have not employed any precautionary measures (20%) compared to residents of Ontario as a whole (15%) and Canadians in general (16%). In addition, while a slightly lower proportion of Toronto residents reported engaging in all three fire safety measures (48%) than those residing in Ontario (53%), they were more likely than Canadians in general to have employed all three measures (42%).^Note 8
There were some differences in the types of activities and measures set in place by residents of Toronto when compared to Ontario and Canada in general. For example, residents of Toronto were often less likely than residents of Ontario and Canadians in general to have engaged in certain precautionary measures (specifically, having an alternate heat source, a back-up generator or an alternate water source). Toronto residents (56%) were also less likely to report having a working fire extinguisher in their home than residents of Ontario (64%) and Canadians in general (66%).

Social networks and sense of belonging

Just over half (52%) of Toronto residents had a strong sense of belonging^Note 9 to their community.
Most (86%) residents described the neighbourhood they lived in as a place where neighbours generally help each other.^Note 10 Of those who did not describe their neighbourhood this way, the majority (72%) still described it as a place where neighbours would help each other in an emergency.^Note 11
Around half of residents had a strong network of support in the event of an emergency or disaster, with more than five people to turn to for help if physically injured (54%), for emotional support (49%), as well as in the event of a home evacuation (48%). Less than one-quarter (21%) of residents had a large support network if financial help was needed, and 12% reported that they had no one to turn to for financial help.^Note 12
High levels of neighbourhood trust and sense of belonging, as well as engagement in civic and political activities, were often associated with a higher level of emergency preparedness (Table 1.4).

Data tables

Table 1.1
Most commonly anticipated sources of initial help and information, by type of emergency or disaster, residents of Toronto, Ontario, 2014
Table summary
This table displays the results of Most commonly anticipated sources of initial help and information. The information is grouped by Most common sources of initial help and information by type of emergency or disaster (appearing as row headers), percent (appearing as column headers).
Most common sources of initial help and information by type of emergency or disaster	percent
Weather-related emergency or natural disaster
News- Radio	30
News- Television	28
News- Internet	25
Extended power outages
Utility company	30
News- Radio	25
Family	14
Outbreak of serious or life-threatening disease
Hospital, clinic, doctor or other medical professional	40
News- Television	26
News- Internet	26
Industrial or transportation accident
News- Radio	32
News- Television	31
News- Internet	30
Contamination or shortage of water or food
Local government	27
News- Television	25
News- Radio	24
Act of terrorism or terrorist threat
News- Television	37
News- Radio	33
News- Internet	29
Rioting or civil unrest
News- Television	31
News- Internet	27^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Radio	27^{Note E: Use with caution}
^E use with caution Note: Respondents who perceived their community was at risk for any form of emergency or disaster were then asked where they would turn to first for information or assistance in the event of the perceived emergency or disaster. Respondents could provide more than one response. Responses of 'don't know/not stated' are included in the total for the percentage calculation but are not footnoted when representing 5% or less of respondents. Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada, 2014.

Table 1.2
Number of emergency planning activities, fire safety and precautionary measures taken by residents, community of Toronto, Ontario, 2014
Table summary
This table displays the results of Number of emergency planning activities. The information is grouped by Number of planning activities, fire safety and precautionary measures taken by residents (appearing as row headers), Toronto, Ontario and Canada, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Number of planning activities, fire safety and precautionary measures taken by residents	Toronto	Ontario	Canada
	percent
Number of emergency planning activities
None	8	8	8
1 activity	15	16	17
2 activities	26	25	25
3 activities	29	28	27
4 activities	19	21	19
Number of precautionary measures
None	20^{Table 1.2 Note ***}	15	16
1 measure	30	28	27
2 measures	27	29	28
3 measures	18	20	20
4 measures	3^{Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.2 Note ***}	6	7
Number of fire safety measures^{Table 1.2 Note 1}^{Table 1.2 Note 2}
None	Note F: too unreliable to be published	Note F: too unreliable to be published	1
1 measure	6^{Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.2 Note **}	7	14
2 measures	39^{Table 1.2 Note *}	35	38
3 measures	48^{Table 1.2 Note ***}	53	42
^E use with caution F too unreliable to be published Table 1.2 Note * significantly different from provincial level estimate (p < 0.05) Return to Table 1.2 note * referrer Table 1.2 Note significantly different from Canada level estimate (p < 0.05) Return to Table 1.2 note referrer Table 1.2 Note * significantly different from both provincial and Canada level estimates (p < 0.05) Return to Table 1.2 note * referrer Table 1.2 Note 1. Responses of 'don't know/not stated' were greater than 5% but not above 10% for 'Canada'. Return to Table 1.2 note 1 referrer Table 1.2 Note 2. Responses of 'don't know/not stated' were greater than 5% but not above 10% for 'Toronto'. Return to Table 1.2 note 2 referrer Note: Responses of 'don't know/not stated' are included in the total for the percentage calculation but are not footnoted when representing 5% or less of respondents. Emergency planning activities include: an emergency exit plan, an emergency supply kit, photocopies/electronic copies of important documents and a list of emergency contact numbers. Precautionary measures include: a battery-operated or wind-up radio, an alternative heat source, a back-up generator and an alternative water source. Fire safety measures include a working smoke detector, a working carbon monoxide detector and a working fire extinguisher. Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada, 2014.

Table 1.3
Planning activities, fire safety and precautionary measures residents engaged in, community of Toronto, Ontario, 2014
Table summary
This table displays the results of Planning activities. The information is grouped by Residents whose households were involved in the following: (appearing as row headers), Toronto, Ontario and Canada, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Residents whose households were involved in the following:	Toronto	Ontario	Canada
Residents whose households were involved in the following:	percent
Emergency planning activities
Emergency exit plan	56^{Table 1.3 Note *}	63	60
Exit plan has been practised/reviewed in last 12 months^{Table 1.3 Note 1}	45	47	46
Designated meeting place for household members^{Table 1.3 Note 2}	25^{Table 1.3 Note ***}	30	33
Contact plan for household members^{Table 1.3 Note 2}	58	57	55
Household emergency supply kit	49	47	47
Vehicle emergency supply kit^{Table 1.3 Note 3}	58^{Table 1.3 Note *}	62	59
Extra copies of important documents	55	56	53
List of emergency contact numbers	72	71	69
Plan for meeting special health needs^{Table 1.3 Note 4}	61	61	62
Precautionary measures
Wind-up or battery-operated radio	55^{Table 1.3 Note *}	59	58
Alternate heat source	42^{Table 1.3 Note ***}	46	48
Back-up generator	14^{Table 1.3 Note ***}	20	23
Alternate water source	37^{Table 1.3 Note ***}	44	43
Other^{Table 1.3 Note 5}	20	22	21
Fire safety measures
Working smoke detector	98	99	98
Working carbon monoxide detector	82^{Table 1.3 Note **}	80	60
Working fire extinguisher	56^{Table 1.3 Note ***}	64	66
Table 1.3 Note * significantly different from provincial level estimate (p < 0.05) Return to Table 1.3 note * referrer Table 1.3 Note significantly different from Canada level estimate (p < 0.05) Return to Table 1.3 note referrer Table 1.3 Note * significantly different from both provincial and Canada level estimates (p < 0.05) Return to Table 1.3 note * referrer Table 1.3 Note 1. Percentage based only on those indicating that they have an emergency exit plan. Return to Table 1.3 note 1 referrer Table 1.3 Note 2. Excludes Canadians living in single-person households. Return to Table 1.3 note 2 referrer Table 1.3 Note 3. Excludes those who reported that they lived in a household that did not have a vehicle. Return to Table 1.3 note 3 referrer Table 1.3 Note 4. Percentage based only on those indicating that they or someone in their household has special medical needs. Return to Table 1.3 note 4 referrer Table 1.3 Note 5. 'Other precautionary measures' include having an escape/rescue plan for pets, extra supply of fuel, checking and replenishing emergency supplies, and keeping exits clear. Return to Table 1.3 note 5 referrer Note: Responses of 'don't know/not stated' are included in the total for the percentage calculation but are not footnoted when representing 5% or less of respondents. Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada, 2014.

Table 1.4
High or moderately high levels of emergency planning, fire safety and precautionary measures taken by residents, by social and political involvement, community of Toronto, Ontario, 2014
Table summary
This table displays the results of High or moderately high levels of emergency planning. The information is grouped by Social and political involvement (appearing as row headers), Percentage of residents who had high or moderately high levels of..., Planning activities, Precautionary measures and Fire safety measures, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Social and political involvement	Percentage of residents who had high or moderately high levels of...
	Planning activities	Precautionary measures	Fire safety measures
	percent
Engagement in political activities^{Table 1.4 Note 1}
Yes^{Table 1.4 Note †}	48	22	54
No^{Table 1.4 Note 7}	46	Note F: too unreliable to be published	30^{Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.4 Note *}
High level of civic engagement^{Table 1.4 Note 2}
Yes^{Table 1.4 Note †}	55	23	59
No^{Table 1.4 Note 8}	39^{Table 1.4 Note *}	16^{Note E: Use with caution}	33^{Table 1.4 Note *}
High level of social support^{Table 1.4 Note 3}
Yes^{Table 1.4 Note †}	56	24^{Note E: Use with caution}	54
No^{Table 1.4 Note 8}	47	21	47
Strong sense of belonging to community^{Table 1.4 Note 4}
Yes^{Table 1.4 Note †}	54	25	53
No^{Table 1.4 Note 8}	43^{Table 1.4 Note *}	16^{Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.4 Note *}	43
High neighbourhood trust^{Table 1.4 Note 5}
Yes^{Table 1.4 Note †}	48	21^{Note E: Use with caution}	62
No^{Table 1.4 Note 8}	49	20	44^{Table 1.4 Note *}
High level of self-efficacy^{Table 1.4 Note 6}
Yes^{Table 1.4 Note †}	54	23	54
No^{Table 1.4 Note 8}	45	19^{Note E: Use with caution}	44
^E use with caution F too unreliable to be published Table 1.4 Note * significantly different from reference category (p < 0.05) Return to Table 1.4 note * referrer Table 1.4 Note † reference category Return to Table 1.4 note † referrer Table 1.4 Note 1. Includes individuals over the age of 17 years who are eligible to vote, and who have participated in or volunteered for political parties or events in the past 12 months, including municipal, provincial, or federal elections, or expressed views on political or social issues through signing a petition, contacting news agencies or politicians, or attended a meeting involving social or community issues. Return to Table 1.4 note 1 referrer Table 1.4 Note 2. Civic engagement measures individuals over the age of 17 years who were involved in a recreational group or organization in the past 12 months, and includes engagement in political activities. A 'high level' is defined as having been involved in at least 4 activities in the past 12 months. Return to Table 1.4 note 2 referrer Table 1.4 Note 3. A 'high level of social support' is defined as having five or more people whom that individual could turn to for help in an emergency if they are physically injured, require emotional support, shelter, and/or financial assistance. Return to Table 1.4 note 3 referrer Table 1.4 Note 4. A 'strong sense of belonging to community' is rating one's own sense of belonging to their community as a 4 or a 5 on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 represents "very weak" and 5 "very strong". Return to Table 1.4 note 4 referrer Table 1.4 Note 5. 'High neighbourhood trust' is rating one's own trust in the people in one's neighbourhood as 4 or 5 on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 represents "cannot be trusted at all" and 5 represents "can be trusted a lot", as well as having a response of "very likely" when asked about the likelihood of someone in their neighbourhood returning a lost wallet or purse containing two hundred dollars with the money still inside. Return to Table 1.4 note 5 referrer Table 1.4 Note 6. A 'high level of self-efficacy' is derived from having a high self-rating on a scale of 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) for the following three categories: an ability to think clearly and solve day-to-day problems, to handle unexpected and difficult problems, and to figure out what to do if faced with an emergency situation. Return to Table 1.4 note 6 referrer Table 1.4 Note 7. Responses of 'don't know/not stated' were equal to 11% for 'Fire safety measures'. Return to Table 1.4 note 7 referrer Table 1.4 Note 8. Responses of 'don't know/not stated' were greater than 5% but not above 10% for 'Fire safety measures'. Return to Table 1.4 note 8 referrer Note: Responses of 'don't know/not stated' are included in the total for the percentage calculation but are not footnoted when representing 5% or less of respondents. Households with ‘moderately high’ or ‘high’ levels of emergency planning engaged in 3 or 4 of the following: having an exit plan, an emergency supply kit, extra copies of important documents and an emergency contact list. 'Moderately high' or 'high' levels of precautionary measures include having 3 or 4 of the following: a wind-up or battery operated radio, a back-up generator, an alternate source of heat and additional water. 'Moderately high' or 'high' levels of fire safety measure include having all 3 of the following: a working smoke detector, a working fire extinguisher, and a working carbon monoxide detector. Source: Statistics Canada, Survey of Emergency Preparedness and Resilience in Canada, 2014.

Notes

^E use with caution

Footnote 1.

A Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) or a Census Agglomeration (CA) is formed by one or more adjacent municipalities centred on a population centre (known as the core). A CMA must have a total population of at least 100,000 of which 50,000 or more must live in the core. A CA must have a core population of at least 10,000. To be included in the CMA or CA, other adjacent municipalities must have a high degree of integration with the core as measured by commuting flows derived from census data.

Return to note 1 referrer

Footnote 2.

The target population for the SEPR included all persons 15 years of age or older, residing in households in Canada’s 10 provinces, excluding full-time residents of institutions (e.g. nursing homes, group homes, hospitals).

Return to note 2 referrer

Footnote 3.

The SEPR covers three types of communities: Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs), Census Agglomerations (CAs) with population greater than 50,000, and ‘smaller communities’ which include CAs with population 50,000 or less and those areas that fall outside of CMAs and CAs. All CMAs and CAs (with population greater than 50,000) were included in the SEPR. A sample of households were selected from smaller communities within each province to represent all households within the province in similar communities. Additional information on the SEPR and its sampling methodology can be found in the ‘Survey description’ section.

Return to note 3 referrer

Footnote 4.

Throughout this fact sheet, responses of 'don't know/not stated' are included in the total for the percentage calculation but are not footnoted when representing 5% or less of respondents.

Return to note 4 referrer

Footnote 5.

This section focuses on personal experiences with emergencies or disasters that happened in Canada, in a community where the person was living at the time, and was significant enough to severely interrupt the individual’s regular daily activities.

Return to note 5 referrer

Footnote 6.

Emergency planning activities include: having an emergency exit plan, a household emergency supply kit, extra copies of important documents and an emergency contact list.

Return to note 6 referrer

Footnote 7.

Precautionary measures include: having a wind-up or battery-operated radio, an alternate heat source such as a non-electric stove or heater or a wood-burning fireplace, a back-up generator and an alternative water source such as a well, tank or litres of stored water.

Return to note 7 referrer

Footnote 8.

Unless otherwise specified, differences are statistically significant (p < 0.05).

Return to note 8 referrer

Footnote 9.

A 'strong sense of belonging to community' is rating one's own sense of belonging to their community as a 4 or a 5 on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 represents "very weak" and 5 "very strong".

Return to note 9 referrer

Footnote 10.

A proportion (13%) of respondents were not asked questions regarding neighbourhood helpfulness in the event of an emergency and as such these cases are not included in the analysis on neighbourhood helpfulness in general or in the event of an emergency.

Return to note 10 referrer

Footnote 11.

Responses of ‘don't know/not stated’ were equal to 13% when respondents were asked about whether their neighbourhood is a place where neighbours would help each other if there is an emergency.

Return to note 11 referrer

Footnote 12.

Responses of ‘don't know/not stated’ were greater than 5% but not above 10% when respondents were asked about the number of people they could turn to for help if financial support is needed.

Return to note 12 referrer

Date modified:: 2016-10-13

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Fact sheet
Community of Toronto (CMA), Ontario Fact sheet
Community of Toronto (CMA), Ontario

Risk awareness and anticipated sources of help in an emergency or disaster

Prior lifetime experience with a major emergency or disaster^Note 5

Emergency planning, precautionary and fire safety behaviours

Social networks and sense of belonging

Data tables

Notes

Fact sheetCommunity of Toronto (CMA), Ontario Fact sheetCommunity of Toronto (CMA), Ontario

Risk awareness and anticipated sources of help in an emergency or disaster

Prior lifetime experience with a major emergency or disasterNote 5

Emergency planning, precautionary and fire safety behaviours

Social networks and sense of belonging

Data tables

Notes

Note of appreciation

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Fact sheet
Community of Toronto (CMA), Ontario Fact sheet
Community of Toronto (CMA), Ontario

Prior lifetime experience with a major emergency or disaster^Note 5