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• A. The Need for Emergency Preparedness
• B. Actions of the Federal Government
• C. Actions of Provincial Governments
• D. Communication with the Public

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EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

Overview of Emergency Preparedness Canada

An overview of the system of Emergency Preparedness Canada is helpful in appreciating ongoing actions and plans. The first general principle of emergency preparedness is that the individual must know what to do in the event of an emergency. If the individual is unable to cope, the different orders of government are expected to get involved and to respond progressively, as their capabilities and resources are needed.

Local emergency response organizations are normally the first on the scene, responding to 90% of incidents. If they are overwhelmed then they may seek assistance from the province or territory, which, in turn, will ask the federal government for help if necessary. It is at the last stage that the Department of National Defence (DND) is called in to provide aid to civil authorities; a recent example occurred during the 1998 Ice Storm in Eastern Ontario and Southern Quebec, and the more recent 1999 snow emergency situation in Toronto.

Emergency Preparedness and the Year 2000 Problem

A. The Need for Emergency Preparedness

The Committee heard from many sectors of the economy that they will be Year 2000 ready and that they will provide uninterrupted services or products into the new millennium. These same sectors were also amongst those making comprehensive contingency plans and who, out of prudent management, were also working with essential services and governments on emergency preparedness. The Year 2000 problem will peak in the first week of the next century when most of the "surprises" can be expected to show up. These surprises will be due in part to failures in many of the areas and systems that were not addressed as a result of being deemed non-critical in nature or being overlooked. The operative motto for emergency preparedness is "Plan for the Worst - Hope for the Best."

Planning for emergency preparedness on any level, municipal, provincial/territorial or federal, requires a detailed understanding of the relative level of risk for the various "worst case scenarios." This requires access to the best available information on levels of Year 2000 preparedness, the probability of unforeseen problems, and other key information from numerous sources and levels including key utilities (such as electricity and telecommunications), provincial/territorial, municipal and federal authorities. Municipal information would likely be amalgamated at the provincial level while federal authorities would coordinate the international aspects.

The Committee heard from the responsible federal officials and representatives of two provinces, Alberta and Ontario, on the measures they were taking in terms of emergency preparedness.

B. Actions of the Federal Government

Recognizing the need for special precautions with respect to the Year 2000 computer problem, the Prime Minister appointed a National Year 2000 Contingency Planning Coordinator on October 6, 1998. At the same time, the DND created a National Planning Group to be headed by this Coordinator. The four primary objectives of this group are to ensure that: there is no loss of life; basic community needs are provided for; business continues as usual or resumes quickly; and confidence in government is maintained.

The Committee was informed that the National Planning Group envisioned three phases. The prevention phase, which is still in operation, involves ensuring that public and private sector organizations will be compliant and ready for the Year 2000. The preparedness phase involves knowing what everyone has been doing and making a risk analysis for critical infrastructure such as utilities, transportation, safety, communications, and government services so as to permit taking the necessary preventative measures and preparing contingency plans. (One of these measures will be communicating with Canadians once an accurate assessment of the risks has been completed.) The response phase involves handling any Year 2000 problems that occur and could involve the participation of military personnel.

The National Planning Group is completely reliant on the co-operation of the public and private sectors to provide the information needed to assess the risks and prepare the appropriate contingency plans. In addition to dealing with the provincial emergency preparedness groups, the National Planning Group is working with its U.S. counterparts to coordinate cross-border issues.

The Committee was informed that DND had initiated Operation ABACUS (Op ABACUS) to assist civil authorities in the event of Year 2000 problems. Some of the main points related to Op ABACUS are:

• Since August 1998 and into the new millennium, this is DND's top priority.
• By the end of September 1999, DND will be ready with trained personnel and the necessary equipment.
• DND will give assistance to civil authorities with the emphasis being on essential services.
• DND is currently engaged in Year 2000 related planning and training.
• The operation will be controlled from the regional military headquarters and use deployable personnel, equipment and supplies.
• A Canadian Forces-wide exercise in preparation for Year 2000 support activities will take place in September 1999.
• The logistic preparations for critical stores, personnel, and equipment are being examined and a final version of DND's plans will be issued in summer 1999.

The Committee was encouraged by the efforts of the federal government, both in terms of the National Planning Group and DND's Op ABACUS, and appreciates that these efforts are only at the initial stages. Much work needs to be done in the months ahead to ensure that the necessary preparations are completed.

The Committee heard that many mayors and other public officials are unaware of the capabilities of the military for providing assistance to civil authorities in the event of an emergency. In preparing for possible Year 2000 emergencies and if such emergencies occur, local authorities should know what aid they could expect to receive. The Committee recommends:

Recommendation 7:

That Emergency Preparedness Canada and the Department of National Defence, in conjunction with provincial/territorial authorities, keep local officials updated with Year 2000 information packages as the Year 2000 approaches.

C. Actions of Provincial Governments

The representatives for emergency preparedness for Ontario and Alberta explained that their provinces were actively working on this issue. Groups working at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels are interconnected and share information. One of their objectives is ensuring that the public has confidence in what governments are doing. Each province is working on emergency preparedness measures with its municipalities, providers of essential services within their province, the adjoining provinces and U.S. states, and with the federal government.

Emergency Measures Ontario explained that its five-phase program consists of:

• Promoting awareness, developing guides to assist critical partners, identifying and analysing hazards, promoting action plans for mitigation and remediation, and conducting surveys to determine the state of Year 2000 readiness.
• Developing a provincial risk assessment and developing Year 2000 contingency plans by the end of August 1999.
• Working on Year 2000 preparedness measures such as exercises and public education with this stage to be completed by the end of November 1999.
• Being ready to respond to emergencies by late 1999 into early 2000 with efforts to continue until the end of March 2000.
• The after-action and business recovery process that could continue until the end of June 2000.

Alberta's representative explained that the plan of the province, which is similar to Ontario's, also includes a public awareness campaign aimed at family homes and farms that should be out by May 1999. It is not intended to create panic but rather to provide a realistic appraisal of the issues.

The Committee was encouraged by the efforts of two provincial governments, which are working in collaboration with the other levels of government and with essential service providers.

D. Communication with the Public

The Committee believes that Canadians need to receive periodic and up-to-date information on the nature of the risks and what they can do individually to meet them. During the hearing the Committee was informed of two problems that Canadians could inadvertently create in anticipating Year 2000 problems on January 1, 2000.

The first problem deals with electricity production. Electrical utilities produce electricity in amounts based on historical and anticipated demands. If Canadians change their electrical consumption patterns on December 31, 1999 to January 1, 2000, for example by turning off their lights and lighting candles, then electrical utilities would have to "dump" the resulting surplus power, thereby, depending on the magnitude, creating the very problem the utilities were trying to avoid.

A second problem deals with telephones. The Committee was informed that the overload protection measures designed to protect 911 and other key services could be initiated if everyone tries their phone to see if the phone system is working on January 1, 2000. Canadians need to be aware of this potential problem and also told not to misinterpret this as a failure of the phone system.