Home PSEPC Daily Brief DOB05-235

Daily Brief

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

DOB05-235 - 8 December 2005

News

Avian influenza: Update
Further to PSEPC Daily Brief DOB05-234, on December 7, China’s Ministry of Health confirmed an additional human case of H5N1 avian influenza. The victim, a 10-year-old girl, was hospitalized after developing symptoms. An investigation to determine the source of exposure and a search for further cases in the victim’s village are ongoing. To date, no additional cases of influenza-like illness have been discovered in the village.
(Source: World Health Organization , 7 December 2005 )
Source article

The World Health Organization reports that since December 2003, there have been 135 cases of H5N1 avian influenza, resulting in 69 deaths in Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and China.
Source article

CN ordered to limit length of northbound trains on B.C. route
On December 7, a Notice and Order was issued to the Canadian National Railway Company (CN) to limit the length of its trains to 80 cars while operating northbound between Squamish and Clinton, B.C. The restrictions are in effect until CN can demonstrate that the company can operate longer trains safely on the B.C. route. The Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating recent CN derailments to determine the causes.

A Notice and Order is issued under Section 31 of the Railway Safety Act when, in the opinion of a Transport Canada railway safety inspector, there is an immediate threat to safe railway operations.
(Source: Transport Canada, 7 December 2005 )
Source article

The most recent CN derailment was reported in PSEPC Daily Brief DOB05-233.

In brief

Two dead after Canadian Coast Guard helicopter crashes
There are media reports that a Canadian Coast Guard helicopter crashed into the ocean off Newfoundland's Burin Peninsula on December 7, killing two people on board. A search for the helicopter began when attempts to communicate with the crew failed. The cause of the crash is not yet known; the federal Transportation Safety Board is investigating.
(Source: GLOBEANDMAIL.COM , 8 December 2005)
Source article (registration required)

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.

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.

Some hyperlinks in the PSEPC Daily Brief direct users to sites of organizations or other entities that are not subject to the Official Languages Act. Users should be aware that these sources are only available in the language in which they are written.