Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) Research and Technologies Initiative (CRTI)

The atmosphere inside one of Canada’s international airport control towers crackles with tension: An inbound plane has radioed to say they've found a suspicious white powder aboard and suspect a bio-terror attack. What to do?

It's a fictional scenario. But post 9-11, in the age of dirty bomb fears and Sarin subway attacks, it's a situation for which Canadian security officials must be prepared. And they're turning to Canada's scientific community for help.

With this in mind, the Government of Canada has identified the science of counter-terrorism and national security as a top priority for integrated science and technology.

The airplane bio-terror incident was the focus of a first responders' workshop this past summer organized by the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Research and Technology Initiative (CRTI). Created just months after 9-11, the CRTI is a network of more than 15 Government of Canada departments and agencies working together to provide science and technology solutions to national security issues.

At the core of the initiative are three new scientific lab clusters. These clusters bring together the expertise of the Government’s labs and scientists as never before. And the benefits go far beyond counter-terrorism. During the SARS crisis, contacts made through the biological cluster enabled Toronto hospitals to bring in scientists from Defence Research and Development Canada Suffield to help determine the extent of the virus' airborne spread.

The CRTI is also funding more than 50 collaborative research projects to develop new knowledge and capabilities to respond to chemical, biological and nuclear threats. National Research Council scientists are helping develop an innovative biosensor system that could enable emergency officials to quickly distinguish whether a "white powder" is indeed a harmful chemical or biological agent.

Researchers at Environment Canada are tackling the question of how to decontaminate and remediate a building after a biological or chemical attack. At Defence Research and Development Canada, scientists are part of an international team creating an improved self-administered anti-nerve agent system for emergency personnel.

In related research, Government of Canada scientists are also working hard to move their discoveries to the front-line of response.  For example, Natural Resources Canada's GeoConnections initiative is giving first responders across Canada the high-tech maps they need to respond to emergencies. And, building on Walkerton, Ontario's tainted-water tragedy, Health Canada officials are working with Walkerton's health authorities to develop new, more accurate ways to identify community disease outbreaks, whether accidental or deliberate.