CN tower terrorist attack could cost Cdn$23.5 billion in damages

If a small dirty bomb were to be detonated near the CN Tower in Toronto, the economic impact would be upwards of Cdn$23.5 billion, according to a federal study led by Defence Research and Development Canada, as reported by Canadian Press. According to CP, this scenario which the news service said would result in radioactivity across four square kilometers, mass panic and a serious impact on the medical system is one of several projections being studied by federal officials in an effort to better prepare in the event of a terrorist attack on Canada. The study also found that a bomb at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver would result in Cdn$8.75 billion in damages, while the economic toll of a dirty bomb on the Ambassador Bridge (running between Windsor and Detroit) would be Cdn$2.25 billion, CP reports. Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day told Canadian Press that while Canada is trying to prevent a dirty bomb, we also must be prepared for one. We know that terrorists have a particular fascination with explosives, and radioactive explosives would be devastating, Day told CP. The study, which combined input from CSIS, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. and Battelle Memorial Institute in the U.S., is expected in final report form by next March. A synopsis of findings to date was presented last month to a meeting of federal researchers, according to CP.