Home PSEPC Daily Brief DOB05-212

PSEPC Daily Brief

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

DOB05-212 - November 4, 2005

News

Government of Canada announces funding for emergency preparedness projects
On November 3, Regional Minister for Saskatchewan and Minister of Finance Ralph Goodale announced support funding of $106,169 to Saskatchewan for two projects under the Joint Emergency Preparedness Program (JEPP). A total of $90,000 is being provided to help off-set costs of the province's 2004/05 Emergency Preparedness Training and Education Program. The additional $16,169 will be put towards an essential upgrade at an emergency operations centre located in Carnduff.
(Source: Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada, November 3, 2005)
Click here for the source article

Wind storm causes power outages in Greater Victoria area of B.C.
On November 3, a wind storm in the Greater Victoria area of B.C. knocked down trees and power lines, resulting in the loss of electricity to thousands of customers. It also caused traffic jams, delayed ferries, forced 23 schools to close. At the peak of the storm, approximately 40,000 customers were without power on Vancouver Island. BC Hydro crews are working to restore electricity to affected areas.
(Source: GLOBEANDMAIL.COM, November 4, 2005)
Click here for the source article (free subscription required)

According to the BC Hydro Web site, approximately 4,000 customers are still without power in Victoria due to the wind storm, but are expected to have their power restored by 16:00 PST today. To see further outage details on the BC Hydro Web site, click here.

In brief

CN Rail derailment near Sunset Beach, B.C.
Early in the morning on November 3, several freight cars of a Canadian National(CN) train derailed near Sunset Beach, B.C. The cars were empty and there was no environmental impact.
(Source: CBC News, November 3, 2005; GLOBEANDMAIL.COM, November 4, 2005)
Click here for the source article
Click here for the source article

CN Rail recently announced its commitment to enhancing operational safety on its B.C. rail lines. For more information, see PSEPC Daily Brief DOB05-210.

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.

Recent cyber alerts and advisories issued by CCIRC can be viewed under “Recent analytical releases” at www.psepc.gc.ca/ccirc.

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. To report threats or incidents, please contact the Government Operations Centre (GOC) at (613) 991-7000 or goc-cog@psepc-sppcc.gc.ca by e-mail.

Unauthorized use of computer systems and mischief in relation to data are serious Criminal Code offences in Canada. Any suspected criminal activity should be reported to local law enforcement organizations. The 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.

Links to sites not under the control of the Government of Canada (GoC) are provided solely for the convenience of users. The GoC is not responsible for the accuracy, currency or the reliability of the content. The GoC does not offer any guarantee in that regard and is not responsible for the information found through these links, nor does it endorse the sites and their content.

Users should be aware that information offered by non-GoC sites not subject to the Official Languages Act, and to which the PSEPC Daily Brief links, might be available only in the language(s) used by the sites in question.