The CanAlert low down
by Spirited Kenny
(A Great Canadian Talk Show Exclusive News Story; original published at http://spiritedkenny.blogspot.com/2008/01/canalert-low-down.html
Why is CanAlert a big deal, and why do I keep beating it like a long dead horse?
For one beating a dead horse is so much fun and two because it is common senses to have a public warning system to alert every one of incoming dangers. We keep bringing it up and giving everyone bits and pieces about it. So I figured I would give a 2007-year end fact sheet about the program, the concept, the strategy, and the debacle that is CanAlert.
* Industry Canada was given the CanAlert project in 1995, but was then made into a joint project with Public safety taking the lead in 2002. It was finally made a priority in 2005 between the federal and provincial governments, then again in 2007. No budget has ever been given for CanAlert.
When I tried to contract the (federal) public safety critic about CanAlert the critic didn’t even know the project was a public safety project.
When we first looked into CanAlert (Ed. note: in conjunction with our coverage of the anniversary of the Gull Lake killer tornado) Manitoba wasn’t planning on implementing any warning system until the federal government acted.
That’s when alarm bells sounded because the federal government planned to do nothing until 2009 while it wait for broadcasters to voluntarily change their licenses with the CRTC so that they could legally interrupt their broadcasts to alert the public, another two year of inactivate were the people of Manitoba are nothing more then sitting geese with blindfolds on.
After that the Feds would only act as a leader and not to dictate what the provinces and territories did, it was also brought up that the provinces and territories have the final say.
* Currently there is no standardized message,
- no set of rules of if and when the system would be activated,
- who it would be activated by,
- how these people would be trained,
- who would trained these people,
- how many people will needed,
This is all still being discussed.
CanAlert has been described to me as
- a "project",
- a "concept", and recently as
- a "national strategy".
* There seems to be confusion between the differently levels and regions of government about the status of CanAlert.
I have been told that it
- has been cancelled,
- (is) still being pursued, and that
- the "CanAlert Strategy" was never adopted and other strategies are being looked at.
When all the provinces and territories (except for Nunavut) was asked about their current warning system and what they had planned for in the future, only BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the Northwest Territories replied.
It is refreshing to hear that Manitoba is no longer waiting for the feds the get it in gear anymore and has formed a group co-chaired by Manitoba EMO and association of Manitoba Municipalities that should have sent recommendations to improve emergency preparedness to Minister Ashton in December.
* SO where do we stand now?
Well, we have seen more movement on emergency warning systems in the past six months since I started working on this story than in the past ten years.
1) It my opinion that CanAlert is a huge project and shouldn’t be handled by elected officials.
The elections of new provincial, territorial, and federal governments are staggered in such a way that there is at least a new person coming to the table every year. This person or people need to play catch up and may have a whole new set of issues to bring up that need to be dealt with first, before movement can happen.
2) If the provinces and territories have the final say, why is the federal government so entrenched ? At the very most they should just encourage and help fund provincial and territorial approved warning systems, help with some cross border issues within Canada and internationally, and ensure there is a consistent minimum level of warning across Canada.
3) It pretty obvious that *** if it's taken more then ten years for nothing to happen, something needs to change ***.
That change may have occurred already, some provincial governments are now setting out on their own to build a warning systems, playing catch up to Alberta that has had a weather warning system in place for years.
4) One of the things Manitoba is looking in to is something called a reverse 911 system, the theory is a official would be able to phone everyone in a certain region at the same time and relay to them the warning, hopefully it would be landlines and cell phone based.
But words and reviews and committees don’t save lives.
5) Right now in Manitoba we have a couple of different warning systems, Pinawa’s community access channel broadcasts emergency information, and Manitoba broadcasters have an agreement to relay unedited emergency information provided by EMO. There is also Environment Canada and weatheradio.
Is this enough? The simple answer is no.
6) It’s the 3 AM questions that I’m stuck on.
Its 3 AM, you're asleep in your bed and there is a freak hail and lightening storm with gale force winds heading in from the south. How are you warned.
The systems we have now are based on you pulling, or actively looking for the warnings.
Warning systems should be a push information system, something that wakes you up, or makes you stop what you are doing and lets you know what is currently happening, where it is coming from, where experts predict it will be going, along with updating you it should also inform you what you can do to be safe.
There is also a certain level of personally responsible to, have emergency preparedness kits with lots of clean water and food that won’t turn on you, a radio and batteries, winter clothing, flash lights, a cell phone and a way to charge it wouldn’t hurt, and of course most , a family plan of what do to when you hear an alarm.
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This is one of several news stories researched and delivered by student and volunteer interns who handle technical production and newsgathering for The Great Canadian Talk Show every weekday. Many are Red River College students or listeners of the show. Their storeis on other issues have also covered public safety concerns borne of regulatory inaction or failure.
No other news outlet or reporter in Canada has examined the slightest detail of the Canalert failure. Our exclusive November on-air interview with Stephen Fletcher MP, about CanAlert and his reaction to the scientific study that indicated his own riding was most at risk from an F-5 disaster, will be posted shortly.
Congratulations to Kenny who has scored his first 'scoop', and will continue his investigation in 2008.
