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

DIR10-129 - July 7, 2010

News

Alberta announced disaster recovery programs to help rebuild communities impacted by flooding
On July 6, the Government of Alberta announced that two new provincial disaster recovery programs totaling $203.5 million will help citizens and municipalities in southern Alberta recover from recent flooding and severe weather.  The $200 million 2010 Southern Alberta Disaster Recovery Program will provide assistance to Albertans for severe overland flooding that followed a series of intense rainstorms from June 15 to June 21.  In addition, the $3.5 million 2010 Spring South Eastern Alberta Disaster Recovery Program will provide assistance to Albertans who experienced overland flooding due to extreme amounts of snow and rain from April 13 to May 31. The Disaster Recovery Program is a province wide program that assists municipalities, residents and small businesses in recovering uninsurable losses from severe weather events.
Source article – Government of Alberta

Recent Toronto power outage caused by a system designed not to fail high power demand
To update on Public Safety Canada Daily Infrastructure Report DIR10-128, on July 6, the Globe and Mail reported that, according to Hydro One officials, the system that caught fire and caused an extensive power outage on 5 July in Toronto was built to withstand the increased demands for power that came on the hottest day in Toronto since 2008.  On July 5,  a fire in one breaker at a west-end transformer station belonging to Hydro One caused a two hour power outage that left 250 000 people without power and caused massive traffic problems in Toronto during rush hour.  According Hydro One, the system was designed to operate in extreme heat in the summer and extreme cold in the winter and its failure is likely a coincidence.
Source article – The Globe and Mail

Heat warnings across Ontario, Quebec
On July 6, CTV reported that most of Central Canada continues to experience a nearly week-long heat wave. Temperatures for southern Ontario and Quebec are over 30 degrees Celsius; considering the humidex factor (humidity) temperatures have reached 40 degrees Celsius or hotter. The heat and humidity is not expected to break until at least July 9 when a cold front is forecast to sweep in and drop temperatures closer to seasonal norms of about 25 or 26 degres Celsius.  Environment Canada has issued special weather statements for parts of Ontario and Quebec. Public health officials are warning residents to take precautions against the extreme heat.
Source article - CTV, July 6, 2010

For more information about special weather warnings and statements visit Environment Canada: Special Weather Statements for Canada.

Government of Canada invests over half a billion dollars in the revitalization of Marine Atlantic Inc.
On July 5, Transport Canada announced that that the Government of Canada is making significant investments to revitalize Marine Atlantic Inc. and renew its fleet and shore facilities.  The $521 million investment allows Marine Atlantic Inc to invest nearly $84 million over five years to complete upgrades to terminal and port infrastructure at all three ports, including the construction of a new terminal building in North Sydney and upgrades at both the Port aux Basques and Argentia terminal buildings. These improvements are expected to better accommodate customers and enhance safety and security.
Source article – Transport Canada

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.