Fact sheet
Community of Winnipeg (CMA), Manitoba Fact sheet
Community of Winnipeg (CMA), Manitoba

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In 2014, information on the emergency preparedness of people living in the Census Metropolitan Area^Note 1 of Winnipeg 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 Winnipeg, 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) (95%), floods (73%) and extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (68%) were named by residents of Winnipeg as the most likely events to occur within their community.
Residents most commonly reported that they would anticipate turning to local government as an initial source for help and information if they were faced with a contamination or shortage of water or food (43%), to their utility company in the event of an extended power outage (42%) or to a hospital, clinic, doctor or other medical professional in the event of an outbreak of a serious or life-threatening disease (40%) (Table 1.1).
Residents also anticipated turning to news on the radio if faced with an industrial or transportation accident (29%) or a weather-related emergency or natural disaster (27%). In the event of rioting or civil unrest, residents most commonly anticipated turning to police or law enforcement (25%), while news on the Internet was listed as the most commonly anticipated initial source of information in the event of an act of terrorism or terrorist threat (23%).

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

Three in ten (30%) Winnipeg residents have faced a major emergency or disaster in Canada in a community they were living in at the time of the event, more than half (58%) of whom reported experiencing severe disruptions to their daily activities as a result of the event.
Floods (46%) and winter storms which include blizzards and ice storms (28%) were the most commonly experienced emergency or disaster by residents of Winnipeg.
The most common types of disruption to daily activities endured by residents who had experienced major emergencies or disasters included missing work or school (63%) and missing an appointment or planned activity (54%). More severe disruptions experienced were an inability to use roads or transportation in the community (48%), as well as home evacuations (30%^{Note E: Use with caution}).
Two-thirds (66%) of residents who experienced an emergency or disaster were able to resume their daily activities within one week of the event: 12%^{Note E: Use with caution} within 24 hours, 26%^{Note E: Use with caution} within one to two days, 17%^{Note E: Use with caution} within three to five days and 11%^{Note E: Use with caution} within six to seven days.
Six in ten (62%) residents who had experienced an emergency or disaster received help during or immediately following the event, most commonly from a family member (38%^{Note E: Use with caution}), a neighbour (31%^{Note E: Use with caution}) or a friend (21%^{Note E: Use with caution}).
More than one-third (35%) of residents of Winnipeg 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 significant enough to disrupt their regular daily routine also endured a loss of property or financial impact. Long-term emotional or psychological consequences were experienced by 17%^{Note E: Use with caution} of individuals affected by a major emergency or disaster.

Emergency planning, precautionary and fire safety behaviours

Two-thirds (67%) of people residing in Winnipeg lived in households that were engaged in at least two emergency planning activities,^Note 6 and nearly half (44%) lived in households with three or four such activities (Table 1.2). More than one in ten (12%) people lived in a household that had not participated in any emergency planning activities.
Four in ten (41%) lived in a household with at least two precautionary measures^Note 7 taken in case of an emergency, and less than two in ten (15%) lived in a household with three or four such measures. One-quarter (24%) of people lived in a household with no precautionary measures in place.
The vast majority (97%) of residents reported living in a household with a working smoke detector, and three in five (60%) reported living in a household with a working fire extinguisher (Table 1.3). Two out of three (66%) residents stated that they had a working carbon monoxide detector in their household. However, less than half (44%) of the residents of Winnipeg stated that they had implemented all three fire safety measures within their households.
On the whole, the number of emergency planning activities and fire safety measures implemented by residents of Winnipeg did not typically differ from residents in Manitoba or Canada’s 10 provinces in general. Differences did, however, exist when considering the number of precautionary measures taken. For instance, Winnipeg residents (2%^{Note E: Use with caution}) were significantly less likely to have implemented all four precautionary measures compared to Manitobans (5%) and Canadians (7%) in general.^Note 8
Differences existed in the types of activities and measures set in place by residents of Winnipeg when compared to Manitoba and Canada overall. For instance, residents in Winnipeg less commonly reported that they had participated in various types of emergency planning activities when compared to residents in Manitoba and Canadians in general. In addition, residents of Winnipeg reported less often that they had an alternate heat source (37%), an alternate water source (37%) or a back-up generator (13%) than Manitobans and Canadians. In contrast, the proportion of residents in Winnipeg with a working carbon monoxide detector (66%) was significantly higher than both Manitoba and Canada in general.

Social networks and sense of belonging

More than half (55%) of Winnipeg’s residents had a strong sense of belonging^Note 9 to their community.
Most (87%) 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, two-thirds (66%) still described it as a place where neighbours would help each other in an emergency.^Note 11
Many individuals had a large network of support in the event of an emergency or disaster, with more than five people to turn to for emotional support (63%), for help if physically injured (63%) as well as in case of a home evacuation (59%). About one-quarter of residents had a large support network if financial help was needed (27%). However, 10% reported that they had no one to turn to for financial help.
High levels of sense of belonging and neighbourhood trust, as well as civic engagement, were sometimes 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 Winnipeg, Manitoba, 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	27
News- Internet	26
News- Television	26
Extended power outages
Utility company	42
News- Radio	14
Family	12^{Note E: Use with caution}
Outbreak of serious or life-threatening disease
Hospital, clinic, doctor or other medical professional	40
News- Television	21
News- Internet	18
Industrial or transportation accident^{Table 1.1, Note 1}
News- Radio	29
News- Television	25
News- Internet	22
Contamination or shortage of water or food^{Table 1.1, Note 1}
Local government	43
News- Television	19
News- Radio	17
Act of terrorism or terrorist threat
News- Internet	23
News- Television	22
Police/law enforcement	21^{Note E: Use with caution}
Rioting or civil unrest
Police/law enforcement	25
News- Television	23^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Internet	22^{Note E: Use with caution}
^E use with caution Table 1.1, Note 1. Responses of 'don't know/not stated' were greater than 5% but not above 10% when respondents were asked about their likely sources of initial help and information. Return to Table 1.1, note 1 referrer 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 Winnipeg, Manitoba, 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), Winnipeg, Manitoba and Canada, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Number of planning activities, fire safety and precautionary measures taken by residents	Winnipeg	Manitoba	Canada
	percent
Number of emergency planning activities
None	12^{Table 1.2, Note ***}	10	8
1 activity	19	19	17
2 activities	23	25	25
3 activities	28	27	27
4 activities	16	16	19
Number of precautionary measures
None	24^{Table 1.2, Note ***}	20	16
1 measure	30^{Table 1.2, Note *}	28	27
2 measures	26	26	28
3 measures	13^{Table 1.2, Note ***}	18	20
4 measures	2^{Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.2, Note ***}	5	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	15	15	14
2 measures	34^{Table 1.2, Note *}	37	38
3 measures	44	41	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 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 'Winnipeg'. 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 Winnipeg, Manitoba, 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), Winnipeg, Manitoba and Canada, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Residents whose households were involved in the following:	Winnipeg	Manitoba	Canada
Residents whose households were involved in the following:	percent
Emergency planning activities
Emergency exit plan	64	64	60
Exit plan has been practised/reviewed in last 12 months^{Table 1.3, Note 1}	40^{Table 1.3, Note **}	42	46
Designated meeting place for household members^{Table 1.3, Note 2}	35^{Table 1.3, Note *}	39	33
Contact plan for household members^{Table 1.3, Note 2}	50	53	55
Household emergency supply kit	40^{Table 1.3, Note **}	41	47
Vehicle emergency supply kit^{Table 1.3, Note 3}	64^{Table 1.3, Note *}	67	59
Extra copies of important documents	50	50	53
List of emergency contact numbers	63^{Table 1.3, Note **}	65	69
Plan for meeting special health needs^{Table 1.3, Note 4}	58	62	62
Precautionary measures
Wind-up or battery-operated radio	49^{Table 1.3, Note **}	51	58
Alternate heat source	37^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	41	48
Back-up generator	13^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	21	23
Alternate water source	37^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	44	43
Other^{Table 1.3, Note 5}	19	19	21
Fire safety measures
Working smoke detector	97	97	98
Working carbon monoxide detector	66^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	60	60
Working fire extinguisher	60^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	63	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 Winnipeg, Manitoba, 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 †}	45	18	44
No^{Table 1.4, Note 7}^{Table 1.4, Note 8}	40	Note F: too unreliable to be published	46
High level of civic engagement^{Table 1.4, Note 2}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	46	20	45
No^{Table 1.4, Note 7}^{Table 1.4, Note 8}	39	11^{Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.4, Note *}	44
High level of social support^{Table 1.4, Note 3}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	53	20^{Note E: Use with caution}	53
No^{Table 1.4, Note 8}	42	14	42
Strong sense of belonging to community^{Table 1.4, Note 4}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	53	17	48
No^{Table 1.4, Note 8}	34^{Table 1.4, Note *}	14^{Note E: Use with caution}	40
High neighbourhood trust^{Table 1.4, Note 5}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	51	24	54
No^{Table 1.4, Note 8}	43	13^{Table 1.4, Note *}	40^{Table 1.4, Note *}
High level of self-efficacy^{Table 1.4, Note 6}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	46	18	49
No^{Table 1.4, Note 8}	44	14^{Note E: Use with caution}	40
^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 greater than 5% but not above 10% for 'Precautionary 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 (7%) 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 14% 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

Date modified:: 2016-10-13

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Fact sheet
Community of Winnipeg (CMA), Manitoba Fact sheet
Community of Winnipeg (CMA), Manitoba

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 Winnipeg (CMA), Manitoba Fact sheetCommunity of Winnipeg (CMA), Manitoba

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 Winnipeg (CMA), Manitoba Fact sheet
Community of Winnipeg (CMA), Manitoba

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