The government has selected Bell Mobility to rebuild the aging Public Safety Radio Network (PSRN). The $765 million agreement to reconstruct core infrastructure, replace outdated equipment and maintain the new radio network will help emergency responders..
"In a crisis, every second counts," said Premier Doug Ford. "Replacing our aging emergency radio network is not only vital to public safety, it's long overdue."
Ford made the announcement at the Emergency Management Services base in Kenora.
"Ontario's frontline and first responders rely on one of North America's largest and most complex public safety radio networks to protect people in the face of emergencies," said Solicitor General Sylvia Jones. "By rehabilitating and advancing the province's radio network, we can improve connectivity and prevent daily service outages that obstruct frontline and emergency responders and put public safety at risk."
This modernization project will ensure Ontario's more than 38,000 frontline and emergency responders, including OPP officers, paramedics, and hospital staff, forest fire services, provincial highway maintenance staff, as well as parks, enforcement, and correctional officers, can count on the communications infrastructure, network and equipment they need when responding to emergencies.
Transition to the new network will begin in 2021 and is targeted to be fully operational by June 2023.
"This network is critical to the important work our ministry staff does across the province and particularly in the North," added John Yakabuski, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. "From our wildland firefighters to conservation officers, these brave professionals do much of their work in remote areas far beyond the reach of mobile towers."
The PSRN supports the work of the province's front-line and emergency responders which can include:
- Coordination of OPP high-speed pursuits
- Communications between intelligence agencies to coordinate surveillance/anti-terrorism activities
- Dispatch of an ambulance in response to a call from a member of the public suffering from a heart attack and communication of patient condition en route to a hospital
- Communications between forest firefighters in Northern Ontario to coordinate fire suppression and water-bombing efforts
- Dispatch of backup support to an enforcement or OPP officer in trouble
- Communications in support of carrier safety, conservation, environment, and tax law enforcement
- Coordination of multi-agency response to large-scale accidents/weather disasters
- Coordination of communications within correctional facilities and between corrections and police officers during client transport to and from a detention centre, court or hospital.
