Still have not found the report itself online. But the Globe and Mail article updates more of the problem areas the Defence Dept. is finding.

(for educational purposes only)

"Key services not Y2K ready, federal report says

SIMON TUCK

Technology Reporter Saturday, September 11, 1999

Ottawa -- Hospitals and other health-care facilities throughout Canada are among the country's pillars of "critical infrastructure" that are behind schedule in preparing for the Y2K computer bug, a new federal-government study warns.

The report, prepared by the National Contingency Planning Group, a special branch of the Defence Department established late last year, says most provinces and territories have some health-care facilities that are three to four months behind in preparations for the Year 2000 bug's potential hazards.

But the health-care industry is not alone. With less than four months left to the end of year, the report warns, at least five key areas of infrastructure are behind schedule in preparing for the "immovable deadline" of Jan. 1, 2000.

The report, which measures progress up to mid-July, cites at least three other areas that are behind schedule:

Airport services. That means baggage handling, runway lighting and passenger services could kick off the new year with failures or significant delays.

The International Civil Aviation Organization and the International Air Transport Association plan to announce this fall which countries can expect to experience Y2K-related difficulties.

Food industry. The report says it is understandable that this sector is trailing in its preparations, because of the industry's complexity. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has developed a program to help the industry through its woes.

Provincial and territorial prisons. Some prisons are up to five months behind schedule in ensuring their systems will be sustainable in the new year and up to two months behind schedule in completing plans. Federal prisons, however, are on schedule."

So, "at least five key areas of infrastructure are behind." Wonder what they are, and how far behind, and how effective their contingency plans are....

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), September 14, 1999

Answers

Rachel

Here is the link to the assessment. It is quite "dry" with little detail and the information is from self assessments (and we know how acurate that can be). Mind you how DND is organizing the information is much differant than the states.

 NCPG Summary Review 2
 

And this is the organization that is assisting with the planning. Interesting suff.

GeoConnections - Homepage

And a bit of information about GeoConnections and NCPG

Minutes of Feb. 1999 meeting

-- Brian (imager@home.com), September 14, 1999.

Actually this is the frames version of the GeoConnections - Home page
A bit easier to get around. (but I hate frames).

  GeoConnections - Home Page - CGDI

-- Brian (imager@home.com), September 14, 1999.

Thanks for the latter links; will peruse them as soon as I get time. I had found and printed the summary--it is astonishing in its vagueness and brevity, its seeming satisfaction with what it is being told.

And, silly me, I had assumed their "contingency planning" would be for citizens. I found this on one of their pages:

"As this process moves to completion, the NCPG expects to have the information Canada needs to help ensure that available resources can be effectively deployed in the event of any threats to essential systems and services. If it becomes clear that Canadians need specific information to protect their own safety and well-being, then that information will be provided."

But, given that some of the companies reporting to them have not met deadlines and will not be done until "September, October, November, etc." I am wondering when "the specific information Canadians need to protect their own safety and well-being" will be disseminated--next year?

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), September 14, 1999.

Rachel

DND has made it very clear in the past it is up to the municipalities to help with individual contingency plans for their area.

Unfortunately there is not much information in regards to how well cities are preparing. I am quite choked about this aspect. In the testimony below James Knight testified that municipalities are going to be prepared because it is a good management practice and elected officials would (of course) have there manure in good order.

Knight, James W. (Federation of Canadian Municipalities)

 Municipal and Water - Wastewater

"I have to tell you that for the past two or three years this issue has not been appearing
strongly on our radar screens. Our members have not come forward with concerns. They
have not submitted resolutions on this question and they have not brought forward the issue
at our meetings in any strong way at all.

I guess in the past few months we've begun to wonder if the municipal world is
sleepwalking into a disaster or if they're well prepared on the matter. We have begun to
conduct some preliminary investigations to determine the state of preparedness. We've been
in touch with many cities across the country and can offer a perspective on where things
stand today. "

Well they have done didelly as far as awareness on their web site goes and this is close to a  year after the testimony above.

Also there is further testimony from

INDYEV125-e

To tell you the truth I am not happy with Mr. Knight and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities as this is where the rubber hits the road.

Still waiting on Industry Canada to get back to session and hopefully we will have a clearer idea of what is going on up here. Canadian's aren't clued in as to the status of very much up here beyond the iron triangle.

Here is a site for the last testimony from the NCPG. This will give you and the other Canadians here a understanding of the NCPG.

 INDYEV122-e

-- Brian (imager@home.com), September 14, 1999.

Hi again, Brian,

Wasn't aware that Defence Dept. had told municipalities they were on their own...Operation Abacus appears to be geared toward communities. When I checked with this city last year I was told their MIS had begun moving to a four-digit year years ago, so maybe we'll be okay. Don't know if that includes water and sewer, though.

Just spent time with a person from a company that sells/installs fireplaces and wood burning stoves. He says their business is currently up 400% from last year, and that people are telling him it is for y2k. He also says that the outlets selling generators here cannot keep up with the demand now. So, maybe your assessment of Canadians' awareness is off. However, the guy who told me this figured we'd need to prepare for only two weeks!

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), September 14, 1999.

Rachel

Calgary was one of the first cities in Canada to release reports on their progress on the net. I would be VERY interested about the status of your water - waste water systems there. It has to be purified and what not so there must be some kind of technical process involved.

I hope you are right about Canadians because the press doesn't care much. The Quebec Ice Storm though is to recient in folks minds one would think. Actually it is not the power going out that worries me as much as the rest of the complications.

-- Brian (imager@home.com), September 14, 1999.

Rachel, I think Op Abacus is supposed to be more of an internal peace keeping mission - aimed at keeping the order in cities. This is just an impression I've formed, though, I have no URL to back it up. I guess it's just what I expect as it's what our forces have mostly done.

-- T the C (tricia_canuck@hotmail.com), September 14, 1999.

Brian, the perceived need for alternative heat may have as much to do with possible problems in our natural gas heating as with concern about lack of power to run the furnace fans. It's hard to know where the oil and gas industry is at in all this.

Tricia, previously the peacekeeping role was an external one (and we're getting spread kind of thinly, aren't we?) Our most recent/vivid memories of military aid internally are the Manitoba flood, the ice storm, and TO's little snowfall last winter. :) But, did you see the thread with the recent article about "soldiers train to fight y2k terrorism" from the Ottawa Citizen? The article said, "In the fall, the Canadian Forces will 'train selected units in the use of force in domestic operations (and) practise (giving) armed and unarmed assistance' to law enforcement agencies, according to documents obtained by the Citizen." This is the very first mention I've seen of an internal policing role for the army.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), September 15, 1999.