Public Safety Canada Multi-Sector Network Meeting

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The National Strategy for Critical Infrastructure continues to provide the overarching vision for enhancing the resilience of Canada’s critical infrastructure. Each of the strategic objectives of the National Strategy contributes to helping Canada better prepare and respond to threats and hazards.

Partnerships enhance collaboration among government levels and critical infrastructure sectors. While different partners have different roles and responsibilities, effective action requires joint efforts especially since disruptions to critical infrastructure can affect multiple sectors. An all-hazards risk management approach helps prepare for a range of eventualities, whether natural hazards, accidents, or intentional threats. Following the flooding this spring in Calgary, AB, that required a coordinated action between all government levels and critical infrastructure sectors, Public Safety Canada organized this Multi-Sector Network Meeting on October 23 in Ottawa, ON.

Michael DeJong, Director, Critical Infrastructure Policy, Public Safety Canada, welcomed participants and noted that the Multi-Sector Network brings together all 10 critical infrastructure sectors to share information, consider specific risks and threats, and discuss mitigation measures to address those risks. Since the last meeting of the Multi-Sector Network, stakeholder comments have been incorporated into the renewed Action Plan for Critical Infrastructure, with the opportunity for final comments closing on October 31, 2013, in time for consolidation and approval at the next meeting of the National Cross Sector Forum on December 3, 2013.

Francis Bradley, Vice-President of Policy Development for the Canadian Electricity Association, spoke about cyber security as a priority for critical infrastructure sectors, and the importance of countering the insider threat. Mr. Bradley also stated that severe weather events continue to be a concern for the critical infrastructure community and that the afternoon tabletop exercise would allow for the examination of weather-related response and recovery using a flood scenario.

Greg Solecki, Manager at the Calgary Emergency Management Agency at the City of Calgary, provided an overview of the effects of the flooding in Alberta, and the city’s involvement in response and recovery. Social media monitoring and engagement played an important role in the city’s response to the flood. The value of thorough, inclusive emergency management exercises was raised, and lessons were learned in the area of effective use of community/volunteer resources.

Following the presentations, a panel discussion took place, with initial dialogue revolving around advance planning (e.g., plans for waste disposal, apps for planning alternate routes in the event of a transit disruption, strategic locations for emergency operations centres). The discussion then transitioned to lessons learned, where panelists each identified one unanticipated key learning.

Observations included:

• employees put their lives on hold to ensure the integrity of their sector’s services;
• 72 hours of preparedness is not enough;
• strong processes must be in place in advance of a crisis;
• relationships are invaluable; and
• incident command system models must be well integrated to facilitate response.

Jim Tweedie, Director of Operations, Safety and Integrity Management at Canadian Gas Association, moderated a tabletop exercise based on flooding in a major urban centre. The scenario covered the pre-event, during event, and post-event period.

There was unanimous recognition of the complex interdependencies that exist across sectors and the need to engage one another and strengthen relationships. Certain emergency management-related observations arose as a result of the exercise, such as: the importance of paper money during an emergency; poor planning results in reputational risk; the need to strengthen the "recover" component of emergency plans beyond immediate response; and asset protection and access to security personnel can be vital.

Other findings were more focused on governance and relationships.

CWWA was represented at this event by Greg Solecki from City of Calgary, Past Chair of CWWA’s Security & Emergency Management Committee; Pat Bellemare from Halifax Water, Vice-chair of CWWA’s Security & Emergency Management Committee; and Adrian Toth.

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