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Daily Brief

The PSEPC Daily Brief is a compilation of summaries of publicly available and PSEPC information concerning critical infrastructure protection and emergency management.

DOB05-236 - 9 December 2005

News

Ontario Wild Bird Survey results complete
On December 8, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced that wild birds from Ontario tested as part of the national Wild Bird Survey are free of the strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza responsible for animal and human illness in Southeast Asia. In November, laboratory testing identified nine samples from the survey as positive for an H5 avian influenza virus. Further analysis by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) identified the presence in one of these samples of low-pathogenic North American subtype H5N1. To date, the findings of this survey indicate that virus subtypes of significant concern are not present in migratory birds crossing Canada.
(Source: Ontario , 8 December 2005)
Source article

Ontario’s results are consistent with survey results across the country, as shown by
CFIA’s Avian Influenza H5 Subtype Analysis.

Ice jams isolate Interlake reserve, Manitoba
According to the media on December 8, ice jams on the Dauphin River have cut off all access to the Dauphin River First Nation reserve in Manitoba. The only access to the reserve through Provincial Road 513 has flooded out because of the ice jams. More than 50 residents of the reserve, including people with medical concerns, left the area the day before and have been settled in nearby communities. A provincial flood forecaster predicts the high water to remain in place for several weeks. It is not expected that the reserve residents will be able to return home before Christmas.
(Source: cbc.ca , 8 December 2005)
Source article

PSEPC Geomatics provides a map (164kb) of the flood area.

Gas pipeline incident near Regina , Saskatchewan
On December 8, an incident occurred at the Regina TransGas compressor station, located three kilometres southwest of Regina. This incident caused a high pressure natural gas pipeline failure, which resulted in a large flame emitting from the facility. Emergency shutdown of the facility’s systems occurred immediately. There were no injuries as a result of the incident. TransGas, the pipeline transmission subsidiary of SaskEnergy , is investigating the incident. The company stated that natural gas service in the Regina area is not in jeopardy because alternate supply arrangements are in place.
(Source: TransGas , 8 December 2005)
Source article

PSEPC Geomatics provides a map (419kb) of the explosion area

In brief

Toxic spill triggers brief evacuation in northern B.C.
Media reports that on December 8, a chemical spill triggered a brief evacuation of a city block in Terrace, B.C., because a Canadian National (CN) Railway tank car started leaking a small amount of a chemical product xylene from its safety valve. Xylene is a colourless liquid that is flammable and very toxic. CN stated that there is no indication that any of the product leaked into the ground. As a safety precaution, the Terrace Fire Department cordoned off a 100-foot area around the rail car. There were no injuries. The cause of the spill has not yet been determined.  
(Source: cbc.ca , 8 December 2005 )
Source article

Cyber risk assessment

Over the course of the past 24 hours, the Canadian Cyber Incident Response Centre (CCIRC) has not detected any significant new threats or vulnerabilities. No significant incidents with the potential to affect critical infrastructure have been reported. Accordingly, based on the information available to CCIRC, the cyber risk facing Canadian critical infrastructure is assessed as low. Personnel responsible for information, systems and network security should continue to apply appropriate security precautions and monitor their systems.

See also...

• The Weather Office
• FAC - Travel Updates

Note to readers

Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada (PSEPC) collects information related to cyber and physical threats to, and incidents involving, Canadian critical infrastructure. This allows us to monitor and analyze threats and to issue alerts, advisories and other information products.

Any suspected criminal activity should be reported to local law enforcement organizations. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) National Operations Centre (NOC) provides a 24/7 service to receive such reports or to redirect callers to local law enforcement organizations. The NOC can be reached at (613) 993-4460. National security concerns should be reported to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) at (613) 993-9620.

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