CANADIANS Y2K on the CBC National 10:00

Doesn't sound all happy face either

-- Brian (imager@home.com), December 06, 1999

Answers

Why don't you enlighten us, who are not in Canada, if you've seen the broadcast on the east coast already.

-- Interested Spectator (is@aol.com), December 06, 1999.

Thanks, Brian!! You're so quick with the news you have it before it arrives. :) I always watch the National anyway, so I'll be sure to catch it tonight.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), December 06, 1999.

Interested

Good point, there must be someone in Ontario that has an update? Other wise I will post what we see up here. On the add for it,

"the world won't end because of Y2K, but......."

-- Brian (imager@home.com), December 06, 1999.

Just to give a rundown of the news blurb,

CBC is the national broadcasting network for Canada and comes in part from tax dollars. The first part is a comment on the Ice Storm from two years ago and they interviewed a basement "survival capitalist" commenting on the fact that he went 11 days with out power and didn't want that to happen again so he is prepped up and markets supplies for others.

Very reasonable Canadian prep standpoint.

Then Peter deJagar gets on the tube and tells Canada that the world is not going to be distroyed and he is going to fly around in it to make sure. The guy is a broken record.

Then they had Jennifer McNeill, (Cipher Systems) in Calgary (Dallas of the North) (fact that is where I think she is from). She is a rather outspoken individual that pointed out Cipher Systems is very busy and has to turn away business that are to big and or so bad off Cipher Systems may not get to see a check.

In a press release from before she has been critical of the S&MEs of the oil industry in Alberta (Texas of the North).

And of course you had the obligitory .gov personal that said roughly (why that word) 3 days of tuna and TP to survive Y2K.

There were a few other comments, nothing new to the forum. Like the CBC bunker and .gov bunkers.

Over all a pretty average few minutes in the macrokosim of Y2K. What saved it was the overall tone comparing it to the Ice Storm, which was the most costly disaster in Canadian History and effected millions directly or indirectly.

I personally doubt that it will be so bad as weeks of power loss. What it will depend on IMHO is the weather during the rollover. The last think we need up here is another disaster in the middle of the damm winter.

Now that would be a drag.

Keep your liners dry folks

-- Brian (imager@home.com), December 07, 1999.

I'm afraid the anniversary report of the Montreal Massacre far outweighed the tiny y2k report. And King Ralph's ramblings about the first steps to destroy Medicare completed the drowning from the other end.

But, lo, first thing in the news this a.m. comes a report of martial law (temporary link) from the same source!

(for educational purposes only)

"Canada Tue Dec 7, 6:26 am

Y2K - Federal Fear

What if? What if the Y2K computer bug is real and major computer systems across the country fail at midnight, December 31st? Well, it appears the federal government has a backup plan, martial law. A published report this morning says Ottawa will use an updated version of the War Measures Act in case there are widespread problems and computer failures. The rules would allow police to arrest hoarders with offenders getting up to five years in the bucket and/or a fine."

First mention I've heard of threats to "hoarders" in this country.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), December 07, 1999.

Thanks Brian.

Like hearing the synopsis from the north.

It's fascinating how the governments and newsmedia of the world seem to pick up on the "hoarding" versus prudent preparations theme. Must all be interconnected.

;-D

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), December 07, 1999.

Rachel

Yes one had better not be hoarding beer! Hard to say what that means. IMHO fuels and alternative heating sources would be the first item needed not food. Then water and power sources. Warm clothing possibly and medical supplies. Then food.

The tone indicated by the CBC and the .gov report indicates that there are concerned folk in Ottawa. I would be interested to hear other views from Canadians on this. Specially the City folk. I have no idea how they would instigate "Martial Law" in BC as we have virtually no military out here.

-- Brian (imager@home.com), December 07, 1999.

Brian, for what it's worth and on a completely unscientific basis, I've asked numerous Toronto police officers about this over the past year. Every one of them, with one exception, told me bluntly that if things got that bad they wouldn't come in to work the second day but would stay home to protect their families: the one exception said he wouldn't wait for the second day, but would promptly quit the city for his far-northern cottage with his family on the first day.

Interestingly enough, given the Emergency Powers thread now operative elsewhere on this forum, one of that group of officers told me plainly that anyone who came to take away food that he had stored for his family would regret it!

I think that most police officers have a strong sense of public duty and would honour their obligations - for the first day! After that, if it gets really bad really fast, I can't see how they'd avoid being overwhelmed: there simply aren't enough of them. Putting their own family's safety first, under those circumstances, would be a logical outcome.

If I'm not mistaken, that's precisely what a very large number of "Montreal's finest" chose to do during the Ice Storm.

It's both natural and understandable, if not entirely comforting :).

I got a call from a CBC reporter, asking if I'd be willing to be interviewed [I assume, retrospectively, for this show]. I gave her some pointers and leads for the story but declined, on the basis that what I would say would only produce panic and that it was too late to really do any good now, anyway.

But if I'd known that de Jager would be on, I'd have jumped at the chance! Given that there are reportedly 17,000 or so embedded chips in a 747, it's bad enough for him that he's committed himself to flying during the rollover, though...:)

-- John Whitley (jwhitley@inforamp.net), December 07, 1999.

Brian:

I meant to add this to my previous posting..

A very bright, solidly-reliable contact of mine in the food- distribution business told me last night that one of the major food chains [I'm not going to name them, purely as as a courtesy, since I don't think that they should be villified and harrassed for simply being prudent]have rented warehouse space around the city for some [apparently not all] of their Toronto stores, and are "stocking them from floor to ceiling with water and canned goods."

They may be the only food business in operation here in mid-2000, if they are alone in doing this!

My source is utterly reliable and Gets It completely - so, from other comments I've heard from another well-placed source, does the CEO of that particular food chain!

When food chains do it, though, it's not "hoarding" but simply "good management." "Hoarding" only occurs when we actually buy the stuff they've "stockpiled in advance" for us...:)

-- John Whitley (jwhitley@inforamp.net), December 07, 1999.

John

As far as Victoria goes I was at a BC .gov meeting and the largest food chain in the area announced that they were warehousing food and that folks should be getting their supplies as soon as possible before Christmas. Not only that but during the spring they had leaflets that were also at the largest Credit Unions with a suggested list of items to stock up on in case of emergency.

What a differance a few thousand miles makes eh?

As I have never lived in a big City I can't imagine what the situation would be like there if things get bad. Your situation in TO would be totally different from out here.

I would love to have a chat with Peter, nothing bothers me more than folks like him that have sat behind a computer desk for all of his life making recommendations on what to do during an emergency. Recommendations with Computers fine, dealing with the Canadian winters??? I think not.

By the way did you watch This hour has 22 Minutes?

-- Brian (imager@home.com), December 07, 1999.

Brian:

More on your 'power' comments above...

I just finished one of my regular "off-the-record" updates with a well-placed source I shall call, as a clue, "Mr. Ontario Hydro"

He told me that there are currently a total of 12 nuclear units operational in the Province [as I recollect, 4 each at Darlington, Pickering, and another site, the name of which has temporarily left my tired brain]. The four units at Pickering can cannabilized four other "downed" units there for spares, if necessary.

If "islanding" occurs, he estimates hydro generation and nuclear plants together could provide for about 60% of Ontario's needs [we both recognise that if oil goes, as expected, that means the oil and coal powered plants would shut down within a matter of weeks or less]. The choice then would be between allocating power to the big Ontario industrial consumers - General Motors, etc - in the province as well as providing it on a "browned out, rationed basis", or opting to support the industrial base only or city lighting, infrastructures, and non-industrial consumers only.

The interesting question at that point, he felt, was "Do you keep your industrial infrastructure and 'lose' the cities, or do you 'keep' the cities and lose your economic infrastructure?"

He thought it would be doubtful that you could do both...

-- John Whitley (jwhitley@inforamp.net), December 07, 1999.

John

Ontario Hydro's site is not up anymore do you have a current link? This seems really odd.

 Ontario Hydro

This may interest you

 MEA Homepage - Municipal Electric Association

 Section Homepage - Y2K

I would not be comforted by any power source that aren't Hydro based. Hopefully they have their act together. Of course they would have to deny the industry (GM) power. If things are that bad no one is going to be buying cars.

-- Brian (imager@home.com), December 07, 1999.

Hello again, everyone.

I see this subject has garnered a few threads today. It sure has given me food (pardon the pun) for thought.

First, Brian, beer may freeze, but liquor doesn't. If one can convince "authorities" it is being kept "for medicinal purposes," it just might be salvageable. You folks in B.C. are pro's at that kind of logic, aren't you? :)

We need to get the government's definition of "hoarding," fast! Anyone in Ontario who could follow-up on this point? I would imagine the recent purchases by TransAlta would fall within the category, wouldn't they?

Does anyone have stories of hoarding/confiscation within Canada during the depression/Second World War? My folks lived through that time period but never mentioned this concept. They did say, however, that vanilla extract became a hot commodity for drinkers.

It has occurred to me that the gov may be deliberately spreading word of this five-year jail punishment for "hoarding" now to dissuade any latecomers to y2k from creating a panic at the stores....

Didn't catch 22 Minutes; what did they have to say?

John

It is my understanding that power would be cut from industrial users first--usually the agreement they sign when they get their nice cheap rates. Besides, what good would it do for industry to remain in operation when its workers are unable to get to work?

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), December 07, 1999.

This has been discussed before here but I just got my personalized letter fron Ontario Hydro yesterday, December 6. First, a brochure titled "Be Prepared", talking about power outages in general and how to prepare for them.

The letter sounds like a disclaimer that their lawyers told them to write to keep their customers from successfully suing them. It is a rather eerie document. A psychological disconnect, so to speak. "We have prepared to the utmost, and just in case, lots of people will be working New year's Eve just in case."

The sad fact is that I am one of the very few reading it that understands what they are, and are not, saying.

-- gary elliott (gelliott@real.on.ca), December 07, 1999.

"If one can convince "authorities" it is being kept "for medicinal purposes," it just might be salvageable. You folks in B.C. are pro's at that kind of logic, aren't you? :)"

ROTFLMAO!!! Can't imagine what you are talking about *VBG*

Oh and even tequila will freeze (at least the water) if it is cold enough.

22 min. had a spoof about the US and it was to funny :o) That is all, you could imagine though. One of the bits was about asking US folk how they feel about the russians invading Saskashrub, and whether it was ethical for Canadians to continue putting the elderly on ice flows to die. Also that our rollover was feb 30th because we are metric.

One of the members of 22 min was at Columbia university (US) asking the students and facalty about these issues. No one thought it was odd.

Sometimes you have to wonder about "higher" education.

-- Brian (imager@home.com), December 07, 1999.

Brian

Re your last statement, for this forum I'll leave ethnocentrism alone.

In Victoria and in Calgary, tequila will not freeze. Yikes! They'll all be moving down here on us. Flood the skidoo trails....

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), December 07, 1999.