Public Safety Canada Daily Infrastructure Report

The Public Safety Canada Daily Infrastructure Report is a compilation of summaries of publicly available emergency management information concerning critical infrastructure.

A summary of feedback results is now available.

News | Cyber tracking | Relevant links | Note to readers

DIR10-125 - June 30, 2010

News

CP rail lines reopen after flooding in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan
To update on Public Safety Canada daily infrastructure Report DIR10-123 , on June 29, Canadian Pacific (CP) announced that the section of the CP main line east of Medicine Hat, Alberta, that has been closed since June 18 is now open to traffic. This followed the reopening of the southern line between Lethbridge, Alberta, and Swift Current, Saskatchewan. During the 11-day outage CP used both secondary network routes and detour routes on other railways to minimize impacts to domestic and international supply chains.
Source article – Canadian Pacific, June 29, 2010

Government of Canada invests in Ontario’s renewable energy sources
On June 29, Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada announced that the Government of Canada is providing an investment of $2.4 million to the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) for research that will determine the economic opportunities for growing biomass as an alternative energy source. The OFA, in partnership with the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association, will research all aspects relating to growing, storing and aggregating agricultural biomass, which are crops grown specifically for energy generation. The project will look at the most efficient and beneficial timing for this new sector to emerge, and an economic assessment will look at its impact on job creation, investment, and income sources. Funding for this project is being provided by the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP), which, in Ontario, is delivered by the Agricultural Adaptation Council (AAC).
Source article – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, June 29, 2010

CAAP is a five-year (2009-2014), $163-million national initiative that aims to help the Canadian agricultural sector adapt and remain competitive.

The AAC is a non-profit, grass roots coalition of 66 agricultural, agribusiness and rural organizations dedicated to providing financial resources to help Ontario’s agriculture and agri-food industry remain profitable, grow and maintain its economic strength.

Government of Canada assists Alberta with damage caused by 2008 rainstorm
On June 29, Public Safety Canada announced federal support for the Province of Alberta under the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA) program for response and recovery costs incurred following a severe rainstorm in May 2008. From May 21-25, 2008, a severe rainstorm caused damage to public and private infrastructure in several areas of southern Alberta. Over 200 residences, small businesses, and agricultural operations were affected by flooding and groundwater seepage. Also damaged were storm sewer lines and provincial parks. The Government of Alberta has indicated that the initial estimate of damage caused by the rainstorm is approximately $9.4 million. The federal share will be determined in accordance with the DFAA Guidelines, which list eligible expenses and include the cost sharing formula. Since its inception in 1970, the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements program has provided more than $1.9 billion in disaster financial assistance to the provinces and territories.
Source article – Public Safety Canada, June 29, 2010

In the event of a large-scale natural disaster, the Government of Canada provides financial assistance to provincial and territorial governments through the DFAA, which is administered by Public Safety Canada.

South West Nova Scotia transportation study released
On June 29, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency announced the release of a study that examines the regional economy of South West Nova Scotia and the role of the existing transportation system in supporting it. The study is being made available to federal, provincial and municipal governments, and stakeholders. The study outlines potential transportation options and weighs the potential economic costs and benefits of each. In August 2008, the federal government and the governments of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick announced the extension of the Digby-Saint John ferry service until early 2011, with an investment of $11.1 million from the federal government and $2 million each from the Provinces. At that time it was stated that the two-year extension to the ferry service would be used by ACOA to undertake an assessment of commercial and transportation alternatives for the region. The consultants found that despite declining demand over the past number of years, local communities and industries feel that the ferry services are an integral part of the regional transportation network and economy. It also found that all of the service options examined would require significant financial operating support in addition to capital assistance to break even.
Source article – Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, June 29, 2010 

Cyber tracking

CCIRC security publications
Over the course of the past 24 hours, CCIRC has not released any security publications.

CCIRC provides a list of recent and archived security publications.

Threat and vulnerability monitoring
CCIRC has not detected any new significant threats or vulnerabilities. Personnel responsible for information, systems and network security should continue to monitor and apply appropriate security precautions.

Relevant links

Below are links to sites related to Canada’s critical infrastructure.

Food Recalls and Allergy Alerts
Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Health Advisories, Warnings and Recalls
Health Canada

Disease Outbreak News
World Health Organization

Travel Health Notices
Public Health Agency of Canada

Transportation - Safety
Transport Canada

Travel Reports and Warnings
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada

Weather warnings for Canada
Environment Canada

Earthquakes
Earthquakes Canada

Hurricanes
Canadian Hurricane Centre

Hurricanes
U.S. National Hurricane Center

News Releases
Infrastructure Canada

 
 

Note to readers

Public Safety Canada collects information related to cyber and physical threats to, and events concerning, Canadian critical infrastructure. This allows Public Safety Canada to monitor and analyze threats and to issue alerts, advisories and other information products.

Links to sites not under the control of the Government of Canada are provided solely for the convenience of users. The Government of Canada is not responsible for the accuracy, currency or the reliability of the content. The Government of Canada 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.

Public Safety Canada respects the Official Languages Act and is committed to ensuring that information products are available in both English and French. However, users should be aware that some links direct users to sites of organizations or other entities that are not subject to the Official Languages Act and that these sources are only available in the language in which they are written.