Keyword
emergency
Alberta tables legislation to clarify responsibilities in natural disasters
April 5, 2018 The Canadian PressEDMONTON – The Alberta government has introduced legislation to better define roles and responsibilities for decision-makers when natural disaster strikes. The proposed changes, tabled by Municipal Affairs Minister Shaye Anderson, will also provide minimum emergency management training for elected officials…
Planning for a public emergency? Don’t follow Ontario’s example
December 6, 2017 Greg Meckbach, Associate EditorOntario’s emergency planning for risks such as severe weather, terrorism and cyber-attacks is in dire need of an update, the province’s auditor general concluded in a report released Wednesday. The province’s severe weather plan has not been updated in 12…
MPP seeks “accident forgiveness” for public emergency claims
November 27, 2017 Greg Meckbach, Associate EditorAn effort to forbid Ontario insurers from terminating a policyowner’s contract on the basis of a claim arising from a declared public emergency highlights concerns over the lack of a government backstop for home flood coverage, an Insurance Bureau of…
Smoke from fires in northwestern Ontario prompts evacuation of First Nation members
August 15, 2017 The Canadian Press (CPSTF)Smoke from a growing number of forest fires in northwestern Ontario has prompted the evacuation of community members from a First Nation in the region. Ontario’s Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services says members of the Nibinamik First Nation…
Quebec pounded by winter storm, premier acknowledges need for better response
March 16, 2017 Morgan Lowrie - THE CANADIAN PRESSMONTREAL – Heavy snow continued to fall Wednesday as Quebec emergency crews struggled to cope with a fatal winter storm that paralyzed traffic and left hundreds of motorists stranded in their cars overnight. Environment Canada said southwestern, central and eastern…
Great British Columbia ShakeOut attracts record number of registrants
October 20, 2016 by Canadian UnderwriterThe Great British Columbia ShakeOut is clearly gaining more traction, with a record 800,000 British Columbians registering for today’s “Drop, Cover and Hold On” drill, joining almost 41.5 million others around the world. “This year, we saw the largest number…
Alberta emergency relief funding following wildfire to end this month
October 6, 2016 by Canadian UnderwriterThe emergency payment program that has helped approximately 96,000 Wood Buffalo evacuees, forced from their homes in the wake of the massive Fort McMurray wildfire this past May, is ending Oct. 31. The program – which has provided wildfire relief…
Resilience should be a goal of all organizations
September 12, 2016 by Angela StelmakowichCALGARY — Darius Delon, chair of the RIMS Canada Council, had a very simple message for those attending the annual conference in Calgary Monday: every organization can be hit by disaster, so every organization needs to be resilient. Scenario brainstorming,…
Hermine is first hurricane to hit Florida coast in a decade
September 2, 2016 Jason Dearen - THE ASSOCIATED PRESSDEKLE BEACH, Fla. – Hermine tore across northern Florida on Friday as the first hurricane to hit the state in more than a decade, killing one person, raising a storm surge that destroyed beachside buildings and toppling trees into homes.…
Saskatchewan launches new public emergency app and website
June 27, 2016 by Canadian UnderwriterThe province of Saskatchewan has launched the new SaskAlert mobile app and SaskAlert.ca website to “connect residents across the province with the information they need when an emergency strikes.” The SaskAlert.ca website and app (available at the site) were released…
Louvre reopens after flooding, as cost of rain damage mounts
June 9, 2016 The Associated PressPARIS – The Louvre and the Orsay, the premier museums of Paris, have reopened after an emergency closure last week to move masterpieces to higher ground during the city’s worst flooding in decades. Visitors lined up to see the Mona…
Need exists to embrace all tools, including social media, to enhance emergency management and response
June 8, 2016 Angela Stelmakowich, EditorSocial media can serve as an important tool in a scattergun approach that helps the public to be better informed, further engaged and more prepared in the event of an emergency or disaster, suggests Melanie Irons, PhD, psychology lecturer with…