What’s New: In Brief (June 07, 2005)

Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation has launched a three-day truck and bus safety inspection blitz running from June 7 to 9, 2005. Inspection stations province wide are manned by provincial enforcement officers to inspect the condition of buses, trucks and trailers, and check whether loads are properly secured and if drivers are driving too many hours. The Government introduced Bill 169, the Transit and Road Safety Bill that will bring in tougher daily inspection standards and stronger penalties when parts come off vehicles in an effort to enhance safety. The blitz initiates “Roadcheck,” an international event involving jurisdictions across Canada, the United States and Mexico.

Environment Canada has launched a new Atlantic Storm Prediction Centre. Located inDartmouth, NS, the Centre is producing all Atlantic Canada’s public and marine weather forecasts, representing an amalgamation of all capabilities the weather centers previously located in Gander, Fredericton and Halifax. The Centre is co-located with the recently formed National Laboratory for Marine and Coastal Meteorology, which is focusing its efforts on high impact weather research in marine and coastal environments across Canada. Senator James Cowan says combining research and operational weather forecasters will benefit Canadians through earlier and more precise warnings. The new facility will allow the Centre to withstand virtually any type of severe weather, allowing for a consistent 24-hour daily reporting.

The fourth annual Duracell Fire Safety Drive reveals that many Canadians are still failing to take all the basic recommended precautions in case of a home fire. The national study commissioned by Duracell and the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC) recently discovered that although 85% of Canadians consider themselves prepared, many don’t have the basic tools on hand in case a fire breaks out. Almost one in four did not have a fire extinguisher, 41% did not have a fire escape plan in place, one third of the 96% surveyed who claimed to have a smoke alarm had not checked or replaced the batteries in the past year and 18% never changed the batteries. In addition, 13% surveyed had too many appliances plugged into one wall plug and 12% had not had their chimneys cleaned, while 10% left the barbecue on and unattended.