Home PSEPC Daily Infrastructure Report DOB06-205

PSEPC Daily Infrastructure Report

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

DOB06-205 - 25 October 2006

News

Canadian government adds Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin group to terrorist list
On October 24, Minister of Public Safety Stockwell Day announced that the Gulbuddin Hekmatyar’s faction of the Hezb-e Islami, Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin (HIG) was designated as a terrorist group under the Criminal Code of Canada. Mr. Day indicated that the group had knowingly engaged in terrorist activities and had joined with the Al Qaida and the Taliban terrorist organizations that mainly operate in Afghanistan. Mr. Day also indicated that the action was part of the government’s effort to maintain safety and security in the global fight against terrorism.
(Source: Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada, 24 October 2006)
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The Anti-Terrorism Act includes amendments to the Canadian Criminal Code that allow for the listing of entities as terrorist organizations.

Senate committee recommends 10-year passport
On September 24, the Ottawa Sun reported that the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce tabled to the House of Commons the Passports and PASS Cards, Identity and Citizenship: Implementing the WHTI interim report on complying with the U.S. Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). The report recommends that Canadian passports be valid for 10 years, doubling the current period. The recommendation is to ease the economic costs of the WHTI requirements that all air travellers to the U.S. be required to present a passport or other secure identification document at border entry point starting 8 January 2007.
(Sources: Ottawa Sun, 25 October; Parliament of Canada, 24 October 2006)
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According to PSEPC’s September 30 News Release, the U.S. Congress passed the Homeland Security Appropriations Act in September, which will require all travellers to the U.S. to present a passport or accepted secure document beginning 1 June 2009.

Canada Post will no longer deliver replica munitions
On October 23, Canada Post announced that it would discontinue the delivery of munitions into Canada, out of Canada or within Canada according to amendments made to the Non‑mailable Matter Regulations, which became effective on October 4. Canada Post indicated that in the past, several inert or replica grenades and artillery shells in the general mail delivery process resulted in evacuations of postal facilities and caused major disruptions to delivery standards. The evacuations caused work stress to Canada Post employees, further disrupting regular operations.
(Source: Canada Post, 23 October 2006)
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In brief 

Nova Scotia issues traffic control guidelines for emergency scenes
On October 23, Nova Scotia Minister of Environment and Labour Mark Parent announced the release of the Traffic Management Guidelines for Emergency Scenes manual. Mr. Parent indicated that the new guidelines were intended to help emergency responders better secure emergency sites on roadways.
(Source: Government of Nova Scotia, 23 October 2006)
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Traffic Management Guidelines for Emergency Scenes is available for all first responders in Nova Scotia and was developed in cooperation with the provincial departments of Environment and Labour, Transportation and Public Works, Emergency Health Services, the Fire Service Association of Nova Scotia, and provincial police forces.

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 Infrastructure Report 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.