Fact sheet
Community of Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo (CMA), Ontario Fact sheet
Community of Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo (CMA), Ontario

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In 2014, information on the emergency preparedness of people living in the Census Metropolitan Area^{Note 1} of Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo 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 Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo, 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) (96%), extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (84%) and heat waves (64%) were named by residents of Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo as the events most likely to occur in their community.
Residents of Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo most commonly anticipated turning to news on the radio as an initial source for help and information if they were faced with a weather-related emergency or natural disaster (37%), an industrial or transportation accident (34%), or an act of terrorism or terrorist threat (30%) (Table 1.1).
Residents most commonly stated that hospitals, clinics, doctors or other medical professionals would be the first source of initial help and information in the event of an outbreak of a serious or life-threatening disease (43%), while police would be their first source of help in the event of rioting or civil unrest (33%^{Note E: Use with caution}). In the event of an extended power outage, residents would first turn to their utility company (29%), and they would most commonly turn to local government in the event of a contamination or shortage of water or food (29%).

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

Nearly half (46%) of Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo residents have faced a major emergency or disaster in Canada in a community they were living in at the time of the event, three-quarters (75%) of whom reported experiencing severe disruptions to their daily activities as a result of the event.
Extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (71%) and winter storms (including blizzards and ice storms) (28%) were the most commonly experienced emergency or disaster by residents of Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo.
The most common types of disruption to daily activities endured by residents who had experienced a major emergency or disaster included the inability to use electrical appliances (85%) or to heat or cool their home (72%). More severe disruptions experienced were home evacuations, experienced by almost one in five (19%^{Note E: Use with caution}) people faced with an emergency, as well as an inability to communicate outside of the home (19%^{Note E: Use with caution}) or use roads or transportation within the community (19%^{Note E: Use with caution}).
The vast majority (94%) of residents who experienced an emergency or disaster were able to resume their daily activities within one week of the event, half (50%) in less than 24 hours.
Almost half (45%) of residents who had experienced an emergency or disaster received help during or immediately following the event, most commonly from a family member (47%^{Note E: Use with caution}) or a neighbour (22%^{Note E: Use with caution}).
About one in five (21%^{Note E: Use with caution}) residents of Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo 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.

Emergency planning, precautionary and fire safety behaviours

Almost three-quarters (73%) of people residing in Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo lived in households that were engaged in at least two emergency planning activities,^{Note 6} and almost half (48%) lived in households with three or four such activities (Table 1.2). Less than one in ten (7%^{Note E: Use with caution}) people lived in a household that had not participated in any emergency planning activities.
About half (51%) lived in a household with at least two precautionary measures^{Note 7} taken in case of an emergency, and one in five (19%) lived in a household with three or four such measures. About one in ten (12%) people lived in a household with no precautionary measures in place.
Almost all (99.6%) residents reported living in a household with a working smoke detector, and three-quarters (75%) reported living in a household with a working carbon monoxide detector (Table 1.3). Nearly seven in ten (69%) stated that they had a working fire extinguisher in their household. Just over half (55%) of the residents in Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo stated that they had implemented all three fire safety measures in their households.
Generally, the number of fire safety and precautionary measures taken by residents of Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo did not significantly differ from Ontario residents, but they did often vary compared to Canadians residing in the 10 provinces. For instance, while residents of Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo (4%^{Note E: Use with caution}) were less likely than Canadians (7%) in general to have implemented all four precautionary measures, they were more likely to have implemented all three fire safety measures (55% and 42%, respectively).^{Note 8}
There were some significant differences for the specific types of emergency planning activities, fire safety and precautionary measures set in place by residents of Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo when compared to residents of Ontario and Canadians in general. For instance, Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo residents were more likely to have an emergency exit plan or a vehicle emergency supply kit than residents of Ontario and Canada overall, but less likely to have a back-up generator.

Social networks and sense of belonging

More than half (53%) of Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo residents had a strong sense of belonging^{Note 9} to their community.
Most (88%) 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, most (82%) 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 (72%), for help if physically injured (74%) as well as in case of a home evacuation (65%). About one in three (32%) residents had a large support network if financial help was needed, and nearly one in ten (8%) reported that they had no one to turn to for financial support.
High levels of sense of belonging, self-efficacy, neighbourhood trust and social support, as well as civic engagement, 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 Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo, 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	37
News- Internet	30
News- Television	30
Extended power outages^{Table 1.1, Note 1}
Utility company	29
News- Radio	28
News- Internet	11^{Note E: Use with caution}
Outbreak of serious or life-threatening disease
Hospital, clinic, doctor or other medical professional	43
News- Internet	25
News- Television	24
Industrial or transportation accident
News- Radio	34
Police/law enforcement	25
News- Television	25
Contamination or shortage of water or food
Local government	29
News- Internet	24
News- Radio	24
Act of terrorism or terrorist threat
News- Radio	30
News- Television	30
News- Internet	26
Rioting or civil unrest^{Table 1.1, Note 1}
Police/law enforcement	33^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Radio	29^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Television	19^{Note E: Use with caution}
^E use with caution 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 Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo, 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), Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo, 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	Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo	Ontario	Canada
	percent
Number of emergency planning activities
None	7^{Note E: Use with caution}	8	8
1 activity	18	16	17
2 activities	25	25	25
3 activities	30	28	27
4 activities	18	21	19
Number of precautionary measures
None	12	15	16
1 measure	33^{Table 1.2, Note **}	28	27
2 measures	32	29	28
3 measures	15^{Table 1.2, Note ***}	20	20
4 measures	4^{Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.2, Note **}	6	7
Number of fire safety measures^{Table 1.2, Note 1}
None	Table 1.2, Note F: too unreliable to be published	Note F: too unreliable to be published	1
1 measure	9^{Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.2, Note **}	7	14
2 measures	32^{Table 1.2, Note **}	35	38
3 measures	55^{Table 1.2, Note **}	53	42
^E use with caution F too unreliable to be published Note significantly different from Canada level estimate (p < 0.05) Return to table 1.2, note referrer Note * significantly different from both provincial and Canada level estimates (p < 0.05) Return to table 1.2, note * referrer 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 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 Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo, 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), Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo, Ontario and Canada, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Residents whose households were involved in the following:	Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo	Ontario	Canada
Residents whose households were involved in the following:	percent
Emergency planning activities
Emergency exit plan	70^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	63	60
Exit plan has been practised/reviewed in last 12 months^{Table 1.3, Note 1}	43	47	46
Designated meeting place for household members^{Table 1.3, Note 2}	33	30	33
Contact plan for household members^{Table 1.3, Note 2}	56	57	55
Household emergency supply kit	42	47	47
Vehicle emergency supply kit^{Table 1.3, Note 3}	69^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	62	59
Extra copies of important documents	59^{Table 1.3, Note **}	56	53
List of emergency contact numbers	64^{Table 1.3, Note *}	71	69
Plan for meeting special health needs^{Table 1.3, Note 4}	54	61	62
Precautionary measures
Wind-up or battery-operated radio	64^{Table 1.3, Note **}	59	58
Alternate heat source	45	46	48
Back-up generator	13^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	20	23
Alternate water source	42	44	43
Other^{Table 1.3, Note 5}	19	22	21
Fire safety measures
Working smoke detector	100^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	99	98
Working carbon monoxide detector	75^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	80	60
Working fire extinguisher	69^{Table 1.3, Note *}	64	66
Note * significantly different from provincial level estimate (p < 0.05) Return to table 1.3, note * referrer Note significantly different from Canada level estimate (p < 0.05) Return to table 1.3, note referrer Note * significantly different from both provincial and Canada level estimates (p < 0.05) Return to table 1.3, note * referrer Note 1. Percentage based only on those indicating that they have an emergency exit plan. Return to table 1.3, note 1 referrer Note 2. Excludes Canadians living in single-person households. Return to table 1.3, note 2 referrer 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 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 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 Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo, 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 †}	51	23	57
No	38^{Note E: Use with caution}	Note F: too unreliable to be published	50
High level of civic engagement^{Table 1.4, Note 2}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	50	26	60
No	44	13^{Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.4, Note *}	50
High level of social support^{Table 1.4, Note 3}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	59	22^{Note E: Use with caution}	59
No	44^{Table 1.4, Note *}	19	53
Strong sense of belonging to community^{Table 1.4, Note 4}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	59	25	60
No	36^{Table 1.4, Note *}	13^{Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.4, Note *}	50
High neighbourhood trust^{Table 1.4, Note 5}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	49	28	65
No	49	15^{Table 1.4, Note *}	50^{Table 1.4, Note *}
High level of self-efficacy^{Table 1.4, Note 6}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	55	26	56
No	43^{Table 1.4, Note *}	15^{Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.4, Note *}	53
^E use with caution F too unreliable to be published Note * significantly different from reference category (p < 0.05) Return to table 1.4, note * referrer Note † reference category Return to table 1.4, note † referrer 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 (6%) 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 greater than 5% but not above 10% when respondents were asked if the neighbourhood they lived in was a place where neighbours would help each other in an emergency.

Return to note 11 referrer

Date modified:: 2016-10-13

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Fact sheet
Community of Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo (CMA), Ontario Fact sheet
Community of Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo (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 Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo (CMA), Ontario Fact sheetCommunity of Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo (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 Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo (CMA), Ontario Fact sheet
Community of Kitchener–Cambridge–Waterloo (CMA), Ontario

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