The July 31 2006 News Release headline reads as follows;
‘Environment Canada Welcomes 511 Weather and Travel Information Service.’
The promise is to provide up-to-date information to travelers about road and weather conditions so that they can make knowledgeable decisions about their travel plans. Since Environment Canada is moving quickly towards implementing this 511 service, it will be rolled out in 2007.
So if you were to phone 511 right now you would get the up-to-date information about the weather right?
No.
It is hard to imagine that almost two years after this press release, there is still nothing. Environment Canada is very tight-lipped about the whole matter. Inquires about the most basic of information about the 511 service, are replied with:
“Environment Canada is working both within and with other government departments on both the technical and financial requirements of such a service. Environment Canada has been working with Industry Canada and Public Safety Canada and the 511 system will be designed to be compatible with any future National Public Alerting System.”
This, however, was only after about two weeks of “back and forth”. This is also quite a different story then what they first told me. Before the email from which the above paragraph is quoted, I was told only Environment Canada was working on the 511 system, but was examining the technical aspects. The press release stated that Environment Canada was going to be working with, of course, private and government agencies like Transport Canada, and provincial and territorial governments. It seems like when you’re talking weather, and you’re working with multiple levels of government your deadlines will not get met.
The National Public Alerting system will not be alerting anyone until maybe 2010, and has only been in development for about 10 years. To even find out who is working on updating the 511 service is impossible, or at least Environment Canada isn’t telling me.
Does 2010 seem acceptable considering it was suppose to be useable in 2007? And is it ok that they have provided the public with no explanations for the delay aside from examining technical requirements? Technical requirements that could easily be resolved by phoning the United States of America where they already have this service available for their citizens, as stated in the press release.
Just what would be the ‘financial requirements’ for updating the already available highway conditions that anyone can now obtain from calling 511, to include vital weather conditions? I don’t know, but if it has taken over a year of counting, the bill is going to be huge.
Once you know what type of hardware and software are required, along with staffing needs, the financial requires should be a breeze. Then you have a two-week bidding period for equipment suppliers, installers, trainers, and building space. Since Winnipeg is the center of North America, and is the most logical place for server banks that might be required for holding all the recorded phone messages, it would make sense for the majority of the hardware and software to be set up here. We have lots of vacant building space downtown that I’m sure center venture would kindly show the Feds.
Then while the equipment is being installed, start some on-the-job training with the new federal employees that will be paid salaries according to union scale.
Maybe I missed something, a meeting perhaps. I always forget about the inter-government lunch meetings, dinner meetings, all on the taxpayer dime.
On a serious note, I would suggest you do two things.
1) Get a weather radio and set it up.
2) Go to get www.getprepared.ca, and start getting prepared.
Because it is becoming more and more apparent that the even though more then 50% of our total incomes goes to the government, they are incapable of doing anything more than using this warning system, and emergency preparedness for anything more then political posturing.
And they refuse to be honest with us about what the delays are.
Again, another story that is only be taken seriously on The Great Canadian Talk Show, only 92.9 Kick FM.
Happy Canada Day!
