OTTAWA – Speaking at the 2007 International Pipeline
Security Forum, the Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of Natural Resources,
announced that the Government of Canada will invest $150,000 to fund a project
that will facilitate the online exchange of information about Canada's critical
infrastructure in support of emergency preparedness and response.
"Our government is committed to the safety of Canadians and the security of
our energy infrastructure," said Minister Lunn. "The partnership I am announcing
today will assist public safety decision makers in planning for and responding
to emergencies."
This project involves GeoConnections, Public Safety Canada and five
provincial and territorial agencies, as well as private sector partners.
Geomatics, the high-tech mapping technology originally developed to manage
natural resources, is now also being used to support emergency planning and
response in Canada.
Canadians rely heavily on highly connected and interdependent infrastructures
such as pipelines, transportation networks and electrical power networks –
critical infrastructures that may be jeopardized by threats and natural
disasters. In an emergency, public safety officials and first responders may
need to know the location and purpose of critical infrastructures as well as the
backups that can be used in these types of situations.
While various types of information about Canada's energy, transportation and
water infrastructure are currently held by numerous government agencies and
private companies, they are not easily accessed and shared.
GeoConnections' Critical Infrastructure Information Identification Project
will develop standardized ways to share, merge and map infrastructure data using
the Internet, without the need for a centralized database.
GeoConnections involves a broad network of partners, including the Government
of Canada, provincial and territorial governments, private companies,
non-government organizations and academia. Additional information about
GeoConnections is available at http://www.geoconnections.org/.Funding
for this GeoConnections emergency preparedness project reflects the Government
of Canada's commitment to the development of knowledge, innovation and
productivity in the natural resource sectors – giving Canadians the advantage to
succeed.
FOR BROADCAST USE:
The Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of Natural Resources, has announced the awarding of two geoscience survey contracts worth $1.73 million. The contracts will provide knowledge essential to finding new mineral and energy deposits in areas of B.C. affected by the mountain pine beetle.-->
FOR BROADCAST USE:
Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn today announced that the Government of
Canada will invest $150,000 to develop standardized ways to share, merge and map
infrastructure data online to improve emergency preparedness and response.
Media may contact:
Louise Girouard Director of Communications Office of the Minister
Natural Resources Canada Ottawa 613-996-2007
The general public may contact:
Mon-Fri, 8:30-4:30 EDTTelephone: 613-995-0947TTY:
613-996-4397(teletype for the hearing-impaired) E-mail: questions@nrcan.gc.ca
The following media backgrounder is available at www.nrcan.gc.ca/media:
Critical
Infrastructure Information Identification Project
NRCan's news
releases and backgrounders are available at www.nrcan.gc.ca/media.
