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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.

DOB05-220 - 17 November 2005

News

U.S. to propose lifting BSE restrictions on Canadian beef
On November 16, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that it plans to propose that Washington lift the last remaining bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)-related restrictions on Canadian cattle by mid-2006. U.S. officials plan to introduce a rule within the next eight months that would lift a ban on imports of Canadian cattle older than 30 months.

The U.S. closed its borders to Canadian beef in 2003 after BSE, commonly known as mad cow disease, was confirmed in a cow from an Alberta farm. Restrictions on younger cows were lifted earlier this year because they are least at risk for the disease.
(Source: CBC News, 16 November 2005)
Click here for the source article

BSE is a progressive, fatal disease of the nervous system of cattle. For more information on BSE in North America, click here.

P.E.I. creating new Public Safety division
P.E.I. is creating a new division of Public Safety to bring together the resources of the Emergency Measures Organization, 911 and the fire marshal's office. The new division will strengthen the province's capacity to prepare and respond to emergencies by coordinating the province's response. The new division will fall under the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs.
(Source: The Guardian, Page A3, 17 November 2005 )
No link available at time of posting

No mechanical problems with Air France plane: Preliminary report
A Transportation Safety Board (TSB) preliminary investigation into the August 2 Air France plane crash at Toronto ’s Pearson International Airport has concluded that there were no unusual mechanical problems with the aircraft. The investigation will likely take months to complete.
(Source: Transportation Safety Board of Canada, 16 November 2005)
Click here for the source article

Forty-three people were injured when the Air France Airbus A340-300 overshot its runway and careened into a ravine before bursting into flames. To view the full TSB investigation update report, click here.

In brief

China and Indonesia confirm new cases of human avian influenza
The People’s Republic of China Ministry of Health has confirmed that a female poultry worker living in the Eastern province of Anhui has died of H5N1 avian influenza; she was one of two confirmed human cases of the disease in the country. On November 17, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that the two cases were not a result of human-to-human transmission.

Indonesia has also confirmed that avian influenza has claimed two more human lives, bringing their total of human avian influenza deaths to seven.
(Source: CBC News , 16 November 2005, GLOBEANDMAIL.COM , 17 November 2005)
Click here for the source article
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As of November 14, WHO reports that a total of 64 people have died from H5N1 avian influenza. To see the full report, click here.

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 Canadas. Any suspected criminal activity should be reported to local law enforcement organizations. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) National Operations Centre (N.O.C.) provides a 24/7 service to receive such reports or to redirect callers to local law enforcement organizations. The N.O.C. 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.