Township Awarded Emergency Management Exemplary Service Award from Public Safety Canada for Response to 2025 Ice Storm
Township of Oro-Medonte Council and Staff are very proud to announce that the Township has been recognized by Public Safety Canada, as a recipient of the Emergency Management Exemplary Service Award (EMESA), as determined by Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Senior Officials responsible for emergency management in Canada.
The award recognizes the Township’s exceptional emergency response, and community support efforts, during the significant ice storm that impacted Oro-Medonte and surrounding communities in late March/early April 2025. The storm has been identified as one of Ontario’s most severe ice storms.
The EMESA is a prestigious recognition of outstanding achievement and service across Canada in preventing, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from emergencies and disasters. A partnership between Federal, Provincial and Territorial governments, the award honours recipients who have demonstrated excellence in their respective fields.
The ice storm presented significant challenges to the community, including widespread prolonged power outages, major telecommunications failures adversely impacting critical infrastructure, hazardous road conditions with many Township roads impassable at the onset of the storm, downed trees and power lines, significant debris on Township roads and in parks, and damage to residential and commercial properties.
In response, the Township quickly activated its Emergency Operations Centre, declared a State of Emergency, and worked around the clock to protect residents, maintain critical services, protect critical infrastructure, communicate information, establish resources for residents including the Neighbours Helping Neighbours Program and a dedicated 24/7 telephone hotline, and support the community through a coordinated response to the devastating storm.
Mayor Randy Greenlaw commented that “this award is a tremendous honour for the entire Oro-Medonte community. It recognizes not just the work of Township staff, but the product of an extraordinary, collaborative, and coordinated effort by emergency responders, volunteers, utility crews and partners, contractors, businesses, upper tiers of government, neighbouring municipalities, community organizations, and residents, who came together during an extremely difficult time. While we are proud of this recognition, our greatest achievement was seeing our community come together. On behalf of Council and Staff, thank you to everyone who played a role in keeping residents safe, and helping our beautiful community recover through remarkable resilience, compassion, and teamwork.”
The Township will be presented an EMESA Award Medallion at a ceremony in early November 2026, with the Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Ministers responsible for emergency management.
Additional information regarding the Exemplary Service Award can be found by visiting Public Safety Canada.
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