Communiqué 2025-1: Constable Joe Macdonald Public Safety Officers’ Survivors Scholarship Fund

June 3

The Constable Joe MacDonald Public Safety Officers’ Survivors Scholarship Fund was established in 1997 to recognize the tremendous sacrifice made by our public safety officers and their families to keep Ontario safe. The scholarship is available to spouses and children of public safety officers killed in the line of duty. The scholarship may be used for tuition, textbooks and eligible living expenses for programs leading to a degree or a diploma at an approved Canadian post-secondary educational institution.

The purpose of the present communiqué is to inform you of the availability of the scholarship and to provide information on how to obtain an application form and application guidelines. Please note that the due date for submission of applications is July 2nd, 2025.

For the purpose of the scholarship, “public safety officers” includes all firefighters (full-time, part-time and volunteer) as defined in subsection 1(1) of the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997.

Please forward information about the scholarship to the attention of the appropriate areas and/or persons for distribution.

All enquiries regarding the scholarship and the application process should be sent to Yoko Iwasaki by email at yoko.iwasaki@ontario.ca or by phone at 647-532-8149.

Anyone who meets the criteria for this scholarship and wishes to obtain both the application guidelines and/or the application form (English or French) should also contact Yoko.

Additionally, written enquiries can also be sent to her attention at the address below:

Yoko Iwasaki, Community Safety Analyst
Program Development Section
External Relations Branch, Public Safety Division
Ministry of the Solicitor General
25 Grosvenor Street, 12th floor
Toronto, Ontario M7A 2H3

Grant funding is subject to the ministry receiving the necessary appropriation from the Ontario Legislature.

Communiqué 2025-2: Ontario Regulation 87/25: Changes to the Ontario Fire Code and first french edition of the Ontario Fire Code

June 5

On June 2, 2025, the Solicitor General of Ontario approved Ontario Regulation 87/25  (O. Reg. 87/25) made under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997, which introduces changes to the Ontario Fire Code (O. Reg. 213/07, the Code) and creates the first French edition of the Code.

The changes to the Ontario Fire Code (OFC) are the first set prepared under the auspices of the Reconciliation Agreement on Construction Codes (see Fire Marshal’s Communique 2020-17), and as such, improve harmonization of the OFC with the 2020 National Fire Code of Canada (NFC).

In addition, a number of changes are being made to OFC requirements that are unique to Ontario.

Below are some highlights of the changes introduced by O. Reg. 87/25:

  • Improved harmonization with the 2020 NFC on various requirements including requirements for flammable and combustible liquids, dangerous goods, aerosol products, combustible dusts, etc.
  • Alignment with some recent changes to the Ontario Building Code including new requirements for carbon monoxide alarms in existing residential occupancies and care occupancies, new maintenance requirements for mass timber encapsulation materials, new testing requirements for integrated life safety and fire protection systems, new requirements for certain farm buildings, etc.
  • Strengthened fire safety for existing boarding, lodging, and rooming houses and for two-unit residential occupancies through new smoke alarm requirements as well as new requirements for reduced flame-spread ratings of certain interior wall and ceiling finishes.
  • Updated references to more current editions of standards, legislation, and other documents.

O. Reg. 87/25 also introduces a French edition of the OFC that mirrors the content and recent updates made to the English version.

Proposed changes to the OFC were posted for public consultation on the Ontario Regulatory Registry in the summer of 2023 and generated close to 650 comments. The Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM) gratefully extends its appreciation to all stakeholders who provided feedback during the public consultation period.

The changes to the OFC will come into force on January 1, 2026 with a few exceptions.

For further updates on the OFC, please subscribe to OFM e-Bulletin at the following link: Subscribe to OFM bulletins (mailchi.mp).

Fire departments with enquiries regarding O. Reg. 87/25 may contact their fire protection adviser directly or may email their queries to askofm@ontario.ca.

Communiqué 25-3: Public consultation on the Administrative Monetary Penalties Framework under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997 

June 11

On June 11, 2025, the Ministry of the Solicitor General posted the proposed regulatory framework of the Administrative Monetary Penalty (AMPs) regulation under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997 (FPPA) on the Ontario Regulatory Registry for a 45-day public consultation period.

Amendments to the FPPA made through the Enhancing Access to Justice Act, 2024, enabled the authority to create a regulatory framework for AMPs.

Once this regulation is in place, municipalities will have the option to use AMPs as a progressive enforcement tool that could be imposed upon anyone, including tenants, owners, and corporations, who contravenes the FPPA and its regulations. Municipalities will be able to use AMPs alone or in conjunction with other enforcement tools under the FPPA.

The ministry is now seeking stakeholder input on key components of the AMPs framework. Comments can be submitted at the Ontario Regulatory Registry link above. Fire service stakeholders are encouraged to participate in this important public consultation.

Communiqué 25-4: Fire Protection Grant 2024-25 - Report Back

July 31

In 2024, the Ontario Government announced a three-year, $30 million Fire Protection Grant (FP Grant) to support municipalities that have established a fire department under section 2(2)(b) of the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997. The first year of the FP grant focused on addressing firefighter health and safety with an emphasis on cancer prevention initiatives.

Beginning in July 2024, municipalities submitted project proposals to the Office of the Fire Marshal (OFM) for cancer prevention and minor infrastructure initiatives. These proposals demonstrated the project’s need, return on investment and benefit to public safety. For the Fiscal Year 2024-25, $10 million in grant funding was allocated and has been distributed to the successful applicants.

As outlined in Schedule F of the Transfer Payment Agreement (TPA), all successful FP Grant recipients are required to complete a Report Back identifying the outcomes of their approved project(s). The Report Back (a fillable PDF) is now available through the Transfer Payment Ontario (TPON) system. The reporting period extends until project completion, with a final deadline of December 15, 2025.

To support you in completing your report back, the OFM has developed the included Fire Protection Grant Report Back Guide.

For assistance with submitting your report in TPON, please refer to the Transfer Payment Ontario Reference Guide.

If you have any questions or require support with the FP Grant Report Back process, please contact your local Fire Protection Adviser.

Communiqué 25-5: Fire Protection Grant 2025-26 - Call for Applications

August 13

Ontario’s Solicitor General, the Honourable Michael Kerzner, has opened applications for the second round of the province’s Fire Protection Grant.

Beginning August 13, 2025 applications for the 2025-26 Fire Protection Grant will be accepted through the Transfer Payment Ontario (TPON) system. Applications will be accepted until 5:00PM on September 30, 2025. Please access the TPON link above to review the Fire Protection Grant application (a fillable PDF) and an information package which provides important details about this year’s grant process. 

As announced in the government’s 2024 Budget, the initial $30M grant was to be administered over three years, with $10M being allocated each year. As of August 13, 2025, the government has committed an additional $10 million, to support the Fire Protection Grant, bringing the total funding envelope for the 2025/26 fiscal year to $20 million.

Eligibility for the 2025-26 Fire Protection Grant remains consistent with Year 1, with funding available to municipalities that have established a fire department under section 2(2)(b) of the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997 (FPPA).

This is the first call for applications for fiscal year 2025-26 and we will determine the approach for year three at a later date. This year’s grant will target cancer prevention, minor infrastructure modernization and lithium-ion incident response initiatives, such as:

  • Cancer Prevention:
    • Equipment and Supplies
    • Personal Protective Equipment
    • Minor Infrastructure
  • Minor Infrastructure Modernization:
    • Enhanced broadband and internet connectivity
  • Lithium-Ion Incident Response:
    • Equipment and Supplies

Following the call for applications, funding for the 2025-26 grant is anticipated to be released in January 2026. The grant will be allocated proportionate to the number of active fire stations in a municipality. Allocations will be based on the projects being undertaken at the local level, ensuring a fair, transparent, and consistent disbursement of funds.

To be consistent with other grants offered through the Ministry of the Solicitor General, applicants are required to develop proposals with supporting information to demonstrate need, return on investment, and benefit to public safety.

I am confident that the Fire Protection Grant will continue to assist departments in addressing critical needs regarding cancer prevention, minor infrastructure and lithium-ion incident response at the local level and I look forward to the positive impact it will have on your front-line members.

If you require any assistance or have general questions about the grant application, please contact your local Fire Protection Adviser.

Communiqué 25-6: Municipal Reimbursement Program for Emergency Response into Unincorporated Ontario

September: 19

This communiqué supersedes Fire Marshal’s Communique 2024-03 Amended, issued on June: 4th, 2024.

On March: 19th, 2022, the government launched a program to reimburse municipalities for emergency responses in unincorporated Ontario in areas that are not already protected by a fire department. The reimbursement is for wide and varying types of responses that are being undertaken by municipal fire departments in unincorporated Ontario.

The following emergency response call types may be eligible for reimbursement:

  • on roads that are not considered provincial highways by the Ministry of Transportation:
    • motor vehicle collisions
    • hazmat
    • vehicle fires
  • false alarms
  • public hazard assistance calls:
    • carbon monoxide incidents
    • public utility incidents
    • electrical utility incidents
    • natural, propane or other gas utility incidents
  • structure fires
  • rescue (defined as an emergency incident that primarily involves activities directed at locating and rescuing endangered persons and removing those persons to a safe location, this could also include, but is not limited to, the provisions of emergency medical care)
  • the provisions of any emergency services listed above, within a provincial park in unincorporated Ontario.

The following call types are not eligible for reimbursement under the program:

  • any call into an unincorporated area where an established fire department is responding
  • any mutual aid or automatic aid calls
  • any calls to attend a Federal Park
  • any calls to attend a Provincial Park that lies within your municipal jurisdiction
  • any call to an area or location with a Fire Protection Agreement in place with the municipality making a claim through Transfer Payment Ontario (TPON)
  • any call for which another government funded agency has established a separate reimbursement process for responses by the municipality (i.e., responses covered by the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ministry of Transportation or Hydro One)
  • tiered medical response, first response, medical response.
  • any call for which a government funded agency or emergency service is mandated to provide a service and requests a fire department to provide the service.

Reimbursement rates are consistent with the Ministry of Transportation response rates.

Additional Information

Application for reimbursement for any emergency response calls that occur between March: 17th, 2025, and March: 15th, 2026, can be submitted starting September: 19, 2025, and must be submitted by March: 23rd, 2026.

Municipalities who are interested in participating in the reimbursement program administered through the Office of the Fire Marshal are encouraged to request a copy of the required Transfer Payment Agreement and the Procedure for Fire Protection Reimbursement for Unincorporated Ontario from their local Fire Protection Adviser and are encouraged to visit the Ontario Government funding opportunities site to apply.

For all enquiries related to the reimbursement program, please contact your local Fire Protection Adviser.