The PSEPC Daily Brief is a compilation of summaries of publicly available and PSEPC information concerning critical infrastructure protection and emergency management.
DOB06-066 - 4 April 2006
News
Federal government acquiring vaccine to fight avian influenza pandemic
On April 3, The Canadian Press reported that federal officials were negotiating with the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) pharmaceutical company to acquire as much vaccine to combat an avian influenza pandemic as possible. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) stated that it is planning to meet all Canadian requests within two months once a vaccine is available. Under current estimates, two rounds of between 25 million and 30 million doses will be required to complete the task. Researchers have concluded that a primer and a booster shot will be required to protect against a pandemic influenza. GSK is upgrading their Quebec-based facilities to produce 75 million doses of seasonal influenza vaccine a year in 2007 from roughly 12 million in 2005.
(Source: The Canadian Press 
, 3 April 2006)
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The PHAC provides information on avian influenza.
Flooding in southern Manitoba
On April 3, CTV News reported that flooding occurred in the Rural Municipality of Franklin area of southern Manitoba due to a combination of rain, warm weather and melting snow. Thirty-two roads in the area have washed away. Repair crews are trying to restore the roads but further rain is impeding their progress. Water from the Franklin area flows into the Roseau River and eventually into the Red River.
On March 31, the Manitoba Water Stewardship issued an updated spring flood outlook for the province. The updated flood outlook is issued to provide up-to-date information following the recent rainfall in the province and recent weather conditions in neighbouring states.
(Source: CTV News , 3 April, Manitoba Water Stewardship , 3 April 2006)
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PSEPC Geomatics provides a map (659 kb) 
of the affected area.
Satellite and cable television emergency alert system proposed
On April 4, The Windsor Star reported that Pelmorex Inc., Bell ExpressVu and the CBC are three of the applicants seeking approval from the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to set up a national audio-visual alert system using satellite and cable television known as the All Channel Alert (ACA) system. Pelmorex Inc., which owns The Weather Channel, has approached various municipalities for support in their application for an ACA system previously rejected by the CRTC in 2001. The CRTC is accepting applications until April 6 for the licensing of an ACA system, and will hold a public hearing on May 1 before issuing a ruling later in the year.
(Source: The Windsor Star , 4 April 2006)
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The CRTC is an independent agency responsible for regulating Canada's broadcasting and telecommunications systems.
New rules for boaters crossing into U.S. waters
Boaters travelling into U.S. waters will encounter stiffer rules if they have not previously registered with the U.S. Customs department (US CBP). Travellers that have enrolled in one of the trusted traveller programs such as Nexus, I‑68 or Sentri will be able to report their arrival by telephone, whereas unregistered travellers could face questioning and searches.
(Source: US CBP , 6 January 2006)
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Minutemen patrol along Canada-U.S. border
Further to PSEPC Daily Brief DOB06-057, on April 2, The Associated Press reported that approximately 150 volunteers from the U.S. Minutemen project patrolled along the Washington State‑B.C. border on April 1. The Washington State-Northwest chapter of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps is participating in a month-long exercise on the U.S.‑Mexico and U.S.‑Canada borders to report illegal activities.
(Source: The Associated Press , 2 April 2006)
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The Minuteman Project is a private citizens group organized to “bring national awareness to the decades-long careless disregard of effective U.S. immigration law enforcement.” It first deployed in April 2003 in Arizona but eventually spread to other areas along the U.S.-Mexico border, and eventually along the Washington State-B.C. border.
In brief
Jordan reports first case of human H5N1
On March 31, Reuters AlertNet reported that the Jordanian Ministry of Health announced the discovery of the first human case of H5N1 avian influenza in a 31-year-old man. The man had returned to Jordan on March 30 after visiting his hometown of al‑Jaafra in the Fayoum region of Egypt where H5N1-infected birds were previously discovered. A Jordanian Health Ministry official stated that six people who shared an apartment with the man are being tested and that all results so far are negative.
(Source: Reuters AlertNet , 3 April 2006)
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According to the World Health Organization , 191 human cases have been confirmed worldwide since 2003, resulting in 108 fatalities.
Cyber risk assessment
Over the course of the past 24 hours, the Canadian Cyber Incident Response Centre (CCIRC) has been monitoring the vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer (AV06-010). Microsoft is working on a patch it intends to release for the next monthly security bulletin.
Based on the information available to CCIRC, the cyber risk facing Canadian critical infrastructure is assessed as medium. Personnel responsible for information, systems and network security should continue to apply appropriate security precautions and monitor their systems. No significant incidents with the potential to affect critical infrastructure have been reported.
Recent cyber alerts and advisories issued by CCIRC can be viewed under “Recent analytical releases” at www.psepc.gc.ca/ccirc.
See also...
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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