By STEPHANIE RUBEC, Parliamentary Bureau

Terrorists, plane crashes and chemical spills will be tops on the Canadian Forces' countrywide Y2K training exercise this month.

As of May 31, the military will launch VIGILANCE 2000, its second intensive training session aimed at tackling millennium madness brought on by computer glitches.

The scenarios will also include blackouts, the evacuation of a small village, according to documents obtained under the Access to Information Act.

This is the second in a series of three training exercises that will lead up to the $386- million operation ABACUS which kicks in for the new year.

The countrywide exercise will throw numerous scenarios at command-level soldiers who will have to co-ordinate the efforts of a fictitious force.

Military command posts in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton and Yellowknife will participate. The headquarters, made up of Kingston's Joint Task Force, will set up in Ottawa for May 31.

About 18,400 soldiers will be on duty for operation ABACUS when the new year rings in.

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-- (trend@watcher.now), May 18, 1999

Answers

Not a chance the Army is preparing for Y2K, actually it is for the Stanley Cup riots that are going to happen when the Leafs bring the cup back to Canada. It is not chemical plants they worry about, its the supply of beer. Brewers must supply enough beverage during this critical time period.

Oh and the army is going to be up in by ex home turf Yellowknife. Going to prepare for a power outage in 24 hr daylight. And if there is a lack of beer up there the folks will revert back to humans :o) Can't have that happen.

Sounds pretty much like run of the mill Canada. EH?

Of course they could be really training for events that will endanger peoples lives. Its going to be a cold winter in my books and if they are working in -30 below or more with a tragity they will be earning their pay.

-- Brian (imager@home.com), May 18, 1999.

No need to worry about rioting in Canada..The only rioting there will be is when the "laughs" lose to Buffalo

-- Mario Lemieux (MarioLemieux@penguins.com), May 19, 1999.