Environment Canada: Atlantic Region News Releases

Senator James Cowan Launches Atlantic Storm Prediction Centre And National Laboratory For Marine And Coastal Meteorology

HALIFAX, June 7, 2005 – Senator James Cowan, representing the Honourable Stéphane Dion, Minister of the Environment, today officially inaugurated Environment Canada’s new Atlantic Storm Prediction Centre and the newly established National Laboratory for Marine and Coastal Meteorology located in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

“As we celebrate Canadian Environment Week this year, it is important that Canadians understand the importance, the Government of Canada puts to keeping Canadians informed of weather events for their safety and security,” said Senator Cowan.  “The creation of the Atlantic Storm Prediction Centre and the new National Lab for Marine and Coastal Meteorology means that Atlantic Canadians will benefit from a concerted focus on the severe weather conditions that affect their lives and the local economy the most.”

The Atlantic Storm Prediction Centre now produces all public and marine weather forecasts for all of Atlantic Canada. It represents an amalgamation of many of the skills and resources of the weather centres previously located in Gander,Fredericton and Halifax. In its new facilities, the Centre is now co-located with the newly formed National Laboratory for Marine and Coastal Meteorology, which is focusing its efforts on high impact weather research in marine and coastal environments across Canada.

“Researchers and operational weather forecasters working side-by-side will improve ongoing collaboration and ensure a more effective transfer of new technology from the researchers to the forecasters using the tools,” explained Senator James Cowan. “Canadians will then benefit from earlier and more precise warnings. The storm surge prediction model is an excellent example of what can be achieved through this kind of collaboration between researchers and forecasters.”

Another of the primary reasons for the move to the new facilities was to “harden” the centre’s infrastructure to withstand virtually any type of severe weather and ensure an uninterruptible, 24-hour-a-day, 7 day-a-week operation.

As part of the opening ceremony, local officials and Mrs. Helen Hornstein unveiled a special tribute honoring the career of Mr. Rube Hornstein, a former Environment Canada meteorologist and well-known and respected weather broadcaster, who dedicated his long career to conveying weather information to Atlantic Canadians.

“I am pleased to honour the career of Mr. Hornstein, who obviously dedicated so much of his life to conveying credible and professional weather information to the public,” said Bill Appleby, Regional Director of the Meteorological Service of Canada, Atlantic.  “His work has been and continues to be an inspiration for generations of meteorologists, who also take very seriously their responsibility to produce high-quality forecasts for Canadians.”

Staff from Environment Canada’s Canadian Hurricane Centre also released a recently-completed multi-year climatological study on Canadian hurricanes and their impacts. More information on this comprehensive climatology report can be found in the attached backgrounder.

With the changes being made through the ongoing modernization of Environment Canada’s Meteorological Service, Canadians will, over time, see an improvement in the accuracy and timeliness of day-to-day forecasts, longer-term forecasting and in the prediction of extreme weather events.

For further information, please contact:

Brigitte Caron
Press Secretary
Office of the Minster of Environment
(819)997-1441