Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC)

Message from the Minister

The Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) has a long tradition of serving the safety of Canadians and the economy on which we as a nation depend. The snowstorms of winter, the rains of spring, the heat of summer and the frosts of the fall – these are all familiar weather patterns to Canadians that are not only a favourite topic of conversation, they also help define us as a nation.

More than just a weather service, Environment Canada’s Meteorological Service also has a long tradition of innovation. This past year marks one of the most significant improvements in service to Canadians. With the approximately $75 million investment announced in March of 2003, the Meteorological Service of Canada is taking steps to use technological advancements to provide more and better weather warnings and service to our clients in aviation, defence and marine sectors, to name just a few. The MSC is also improving daily and long-term weather predictions for all Canadians, furthering the science of climate change and enabling skilled meteorologists to focus on severe weather conditions. These initiatives will improve public safety and security, which remains the foremost priority of the MSC.

The MSC weather Web site receives nearly a billion hits each quarter. Through international partnerships dedicated to research and data exchanges, the MSC will further improve its forecasting abilities. All Canadians can be proud of the research being conducted by MSC employees across Canada to enhance what is known about coastal and mountain meteorology, Arctic weather and hydrometeorology, remote sensing and “nowcasting,” severe weather and marine meteorology.
I am proud of the 1 900 people in the MSC dedicated to serving Canada 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Over the next few years, Canadians will see improvements in the accuracy and timeliness of day-to-day and longer-term forecasting, as well as more precision in the prediction of extreme weather events. I am confident these improvements will enhance services to Canada’s economy – to the agriculture, forestry, energy production, transportation and tourism sectors that are so dependent on the weather.

For their service to Canadians wherever they are, whenever they are in need, my sincere thanks to the staff of the MSC for another successful and innovative year.

Do take some time to look through this Annual Report of MSC accomplishments during this past year, and its charted course for the future.

The Honourable
David Anderson, P.C., M.P.

Ottawa, Ontario

The Green Lane^TM,
Environment Canada's World Wide Web Site.