Fact sheet
Smaller communities of Ontario Fact sheet
Smaller communities of Ontario

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

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

People living in the smaller communities of Ontario anticipated winter storms (including blizzards, ice storms and extreme cold) (94%) as the event most likely to occur within their communities, followed by extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (82%) and heat waves (51%).
Residents of these smaller communities anticipated first turning to news on the radio as an initial source of help and information in the event of a weather-related emergency or natural disaster (34%) or an industrial or transportation accident (28%) (Table 1.1).
Police or law enforcement would most commonly be the first sources of initial help and information for residents in the event of an act of terrorism or terrorist threat (40%^{Note E: Use with caution}) or rioting or civil unrest (38%^{Note E: Use with caution}). In the event of a contamination or shortage of water or food, local government was the most commonly anticipated source of help and information for residents (38%). In the event of an extended power outage, residents would commonly first turn to their utility company (49%) and if faced with an outbreak of a serious or life-threatening disease, they most frequently anticipated turning to hospitals, clinics, doctors or other medical professionals first (60%).

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

Close to half (48%) of residents of the smaller communities of Ontario had personally experienced a major emergency or disaster within Canada, in a community where they were living at the time. Three out of four (74%) of these people had experienced an emergency or a disaster that was significant enough to have resulted in severe disruptions to their daily activities.
Extended power outages lasting 24 hours or longer (41%) were the most commonly experienced emergency or disaster faced by residents in smaller communities in Ontario. Winter storms including blizzards and ice storms (36%) and tornadoes (14%^{Note E: Use with caution}) were the next most commonly experienced events.
Missing work or school (57%), missing appointments or planned activities (53%) or an inability to use electrical appliances (52%) were the most common types of disruptions to daily activities endured by residents who were faced with major emergencies or disasters. One-third (32%) of emergency victims were unable to use roads or transportation within their community and one in five (20%^{Note E: Use with caution}) had to evacuate their homes; about one in ten (11%^{Note E: Use with caution}) were unable to communicate outside the home.
Over three-quarters (78%) of the residents of Ontario’s smaller communities who had experienced major emergencies or disasters were able to resume their daily activities within one week of the event: about one-quarter (26%) within 24 hours and another one-quarter (24%) within one to two days.
Three out of five (59%) emergency or disaster victims received help either during or immediately following the event. Neighbours (36%^{Note E: Use with caution}), family members (30%^{Note E: Use with caution}) and friends (18%^{Note E: Use with caution}) were the most common sources of assistance.
Three in ten (30%) residents of Ontario’s smaller communities who were affected by a major emergency or disaster which was significant enough to disrupt their regular daily routines endured a loss of property or another financial impact.

Emergency planning, precautionary and fire safety behaviours

Three-quarters (75%) of residents of the smaller communities of Ontario lived in households that were engaged in at least two emergency planning activities,^{Note 6} and over half (54%) reported living in households with three or four such activities (Table 1.2). Less than one in ten (8%^{Note E: Use with caution}) people lived in a household that had not engaged in any emergency planning activities.
Three out of four (74%) residents lived in a household with at least two precautionary measures^{Note 7} taken in the event of an emergency. Just under half (46%) lived in a household with three or four such measures. Less than one in ten (7%^{Note E: Use with caution}) people lived in a household with no precautionary measures set in place.
Most (99%) residents reported living in a household with a working smoke detector, and the majority reported living in a household with a working fire extinguisher (79%) or a working carbon monoxide detector (78%) (Table 1.3). Approximately three out of five (62%) residents stated that they had all three fire safety measures within their household.
The number of emergency planning activities, fire safety and precautionary measures taken by residents of the smaller communities of Ontario were frequently different when compared to the province as a whole and to Canadians residing in the 10 provinces in general. For example, residents of the smaller communities of Ontario were more likely to have engaged in all four emergency planning activities (27%), all four precautionary measures (15%) and all three fire safety measures (62%) than were residents of Ontario overall (21%, 6% and 53%, respectively) and Canadians in general (19%, 7% and 42%, respectively).^{Note 8}
Differences were often observed between residents of the smaller communities of Ontario and Ontarians as a whole and Canadians in general in terms of the types of activities and measures they had in place. For example, residents of the smaller communities of Ontario were more likely to have an emergency exit plan, a vehicle emergency supply kit, a wind-up or battery-operated radio, a back-up generator, as well as alternate water and heat sources, or a fire extinguisher when compared to residents of Ontario overall and Canadians in general.

Social networks and sense of belonging

Three in five (62%) people living in the smaller communities of Ontario had a strong sense of belonging^{Note 9} to their community.
The majority (95%) of residents believed the neighbourhood they lived in is a place where neighbours generally help each other.^{Note 10} Of those who did not describe their neighbourhood this way, most (93%) still described it as a place where neighbours would help each other in an emergency.
About two-thirds of residents had a large network of support in the event of an emergency or disaster, with more than five people to turn to for help if physically injured (69%), for emotional support (65%) or if they had to evacuate their home (63%). About half as many people (32%) had such a network for financial support in the event of an emergency, and one in ten (9%^{Note E: Use with caution}) people reported that they had no one to turn to for financial help.^{Note 11}
High levels of neighbourhood trust, sense of belonging, and self-efficacy, as well as engagement in civic activities 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 smaller communities of 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	34
News- Television	19
News- Internet	18
Extended power outages
Utility company	49
News- Radio	14
Family	9^{Note E: Use with caution}
Outbreak of serious or life-threatening disease
Hospital, clinic, doctor or other medical professional	60
News- Radio	18^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Internet	17^{Note E: Use with caution}
Industrial or transportation accident
News- Radio	28
Police/law enforcement	27
News- Internet	16^{Note E: Use with caution}
Contamination or shortage of water or food^{Table 1.1, Note 1}
Local government	38
News- Radio	15^{Note E: Use with caution}
Hospital, clinic, doctor or other medical professional	12^{Note E: Use with caution}
Act of terrorism or terrorist threat^{Table 1.1, Note 1}
Police/law enforcement	40^{Note E: Use with caution}
News- Radio	25^{Note E: Use with caution}
Rioting or civil unrest
Police/law enforcement	38^{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, smaller communities of 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), Smaller communities of Ontario, 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	Smaller communities of Ontario	Ontario	Canada
	percent
Number of emergency planning activities
None	8^{Note E: Use with caution}	8	8
1 activity	15	16	17
2 activities	21	25	25
3 activities	27	28	27
4 activities	27^{Table 1.2, Note ***}	21	19
Number of precautionary measures
None	7^{Note E: Use with caution}^{Table 1.2, Note ***}	15	16
1 measure	18^{Table 1.2, Note ***}	28	27
2 measures	28	29	28
3 measures	31^{Table 1.2, Note ***}	20	20
4 measures	15^{Table 1.2, Note ***}	6	7
Number of fire safety measures^{Table 1.2, Note 1}
None	Note F: too unreliable to be published	Note F: too unreliable to be published	1
1 measure	4^{Table 1.2, Note **}	7	14
2 measures	32^{Table 1.2, Note **}	35	38
3 measures	62^{Table 1.2, Note ***}	53	42
^E use with caution F too unreliable to be published 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 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, smaller communities of 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), Smaller communities of Ontario, Ontario and Canada, calculated using percent units of measure (appearing as column headers).
Residents whose households were involved in the following:	Smaller communities of Ontario	Ontario	Canada
Residents whose households were involved in the following:	percent
Emergency planning activities
Emergency exit plan	74^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	63	60
Exit plan has been practised/reviewed in last 12 months^{Table 1.3, Note 1}	53^{Table 1.3, Note **}	47	46
Designated meeting place for household members^{Table 1.3, Note 2}	36^{Table 1.3, Note *}	30	33
Contact plan for household members^{Table 1.3, Note 2}	56	57	55
Household emergency supply kit	47	47	47
Vehicle emergency supply kit^{Table 1.3, Note 3}	66^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	62	59
Extra copies of important documents	53	56	53
List of emergency contact numbers	72	71	69
Plan for meeting special health needs^{Table 1.3, Note 4}	69	61	62
Precautionary measures
Wind-up or battery-operated radio	65^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	59	58
Alternate heat source	54^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	46	48
Back-up generator	45^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	20	23
Alternate water source	63^{Table 1.3, Note ***}	44	43
Other^{Table 1.3, Note 5}	26^{Table 1.3, Note **}	22	21
Fire safety measures
Working smoke detector	99^{Table 1.3, Note **}	99	98
Working carbon monoxide detector	78^{Table 1.3, Note **}	80	60
Working fire extinguisher	79^{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, smaller communities of 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 †}	54	51	64
No	44^{Note E: Use with caution}	35	51
High level of civic engagement^{Table 1.4, Note 2}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	56	54	63
No	45	37^{Table 1.4, Note *}	59
High level of social support^{Table 1.4, Note 3}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	55	47	58
No	54	46	64
Strong sense of belonging to community^{Table 1.4, Note 4}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	60	45	65
No	45^{Table 1.4, Note *}	49	56
High neighbourhood trust^{Table 1.4, Note 5}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	60	59	67
No	48^{Table 1.4, Note *}	33^{Table 1.4, Note *}	56
High level of self-efficacy^{Table 1.4, Note 6}
Yes^{Table 1.4, Note †}	62	50	67
No	42^{Table 1.4, Note *}	41	55
^E use with caution 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 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.

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 1 referrer

Footnote 2.

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 2 referrer

Footnote 3.

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 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 (26%) 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 about the number of people they could turn to for help if financial support is needed.

Return to note 11 referrer

Date modified:: 2016-10-13

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Fact sheet
Smaller communities of Ontario Fact sheet
Smaller communities of 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 sheetSmaller communities of Ontario Fact sheetSmaller communities of 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

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Fact sheet
Smaller communities of Ontario Fact sheet
Smaller communities of Ontario

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