Qs & As about Operation INTERSECT

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• What is Operation INTERSECT?

  Operation INTERSECT is an integrated readiness and response framework designed to mitigate, prevent, respond to, and recover from, emergencies and disasters. Operation INTERSECT has directly led to significant increases in:

  • awareness and community participation;
  • effective use of resources;
  • enhanced communications within and cooperation among agencies; and
  • improved delivery of services to the community.

  Lessons learned from previous major emergencies and disasters - both locally and internationally - provided the impetus for an integrated approach to readiness and response in Canada's National Capital Region (NCR). The creation of Operation INTERSECT was designed to ensure the highest level of public safety for public safety providers, residents, businesses and visitors alike.

  In short, Operation INTERSECT is about sharing information among agencies to increase public safety in the event of a major event, such as a terrorist threat or a natural disaster. But in addition to disasters, the program is designed to coordinate support for more routine events that the NCR hosts, such as Canada Day celebrations.

• Why is Operation INTERSECT in place?

  Whether it is dealing with time-sensitive information, conducting routine business or planning for a major event, Operation INTERSECT enables participants to promote, enhance and optimize integrated response capabilities within the NCR. Due to the unique nature of the NCR, which encompasses two major cities, two provinces, and various national and international government institutions, there is a critical requirement to ensure a collaborative and cooperative approach to dealing with major events and threats in the region. Operation INTERSECT responds to that challenge with impressive results.

• What role is our environment playing in the need for something like Operation INTERSECT?

  As most would agree, communities are increasingly vulnerable to natural, technological and deliberate human-caused emergencies and disasters - growing in number, kind and magnitude. The impact of these events has been increased numbers of human casualties, higher levels of infrastructure damage and destruction, and greater social and economic disruption. Many factors, individually and collectively, are contributing to this evolving, more challenging threat environment.

• What types of factors, individually and collectively, are contributing to the evolving and challenging threat environment?

  There are many factors including:

  • industrialization, the ready availability of a widening array of hazardous materials;
  • urbanization, the continuing construction of urban infrastructure in exposed locations;
  • technology, increasingly complex critical infrastructure interdependencies;
  • globalization;
  • health emergencies, in the form of new emerging strong and powerful pathogens (an infectious agent or "germ") and the re-emergence of highly resilient age-old ailments;
  • convergence of natural and technological events, multiple or synergistic;
  • violence threatening public order events; and
  • terrorist events, characterized by mass casualties and/or mass destruction.

• When did this all start?

  In January 2005, NCR police leaders initiated a project addressing an integrated response to national security threats within Canada's National Capital Region. A direction-setting workshop was held in February 2005 which began the initial work that led to the creation of the Operation INTERSECT Integrated Response Framework.

  On May 22, 2008 Operation INTERSECT was publicly launched at a technical briefing at Ottawa City Hall. The event provided an opportunity to showcase Operation INTERSECT achievements.

• Who are the current partners?

  Partners currently involved in Operation INTERSECT include:

  • Canadian Air Transportation Security Authority (CATSA)
  • Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)
  • City of Gatineau, Bureau de la sécurité civile
  • City of Ottawa, Office of Emergency Management
  • Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)
  • Department of National Defence/Canadian Forces/Ontario/Quebec (DND/CF)
  • Gatineau Fire Department
  • Gatineau Police
  • House of Commons Security Service
  • MRC des Collines de l'Outaouais
  • NCR Military Police (MP)
  • Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)
  • Ottawa Fire Service
  • Ottawa Paramedic Service
  • Ottawa Public Health
  • Privy Council Office (PCO)
  • Province of Ontario, Emergency Management Ontario
  • Province of Quebec
  • Public Safety Canada (PS)
  • Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
  • Senate Protective Service
  • Sûreté du Québec (SQ)

  The program is also designed to support the community as a whole through private and public partnerships.

• What has been achieved for stakeholders?

  Overall, Operation INTERSECT has increased community and emergency capacity which has lead to:

  • Improved intelligence and information sharing within the NCR (i.e. communication channels have never been more open);
  • Improved decision-making (i.e. having more and better information leads to better decision-making);
  • Improved integrated response based on Integrated Response Guidelines (i.e. fostering a consistent approach by all actors);
  • Optimal use of resources (i.e. thousands of dollars saved through joint training exercises); and
  • Providing a model for other municipalities and complex jurisdictions (i.e. approach adopted by the Vancouver region in anticipation of the 2010 Olympics).

• How has the community and private sector benefited?

  For the community, Operation INTERSECT has:

  • Increased public safety and security within the NCR leading to greater public confidence;
  • Improved emergency response capability within the NCR;
  • Improved collaboration amongst all stakeholders to include the private sector, community groups and the public at large;
  • Improved resource management; and
  • Provided a model for other municipalities and complex jurisdictions.

• What is the future of Operation INTERSECT?

  The Operation INTERSECT partners will continue working with public and private stakeholders to roll out the coordinated approach to public safety in the NCR. Operation INTERSECT partners will also continue sharing best practices with others. For example, the Province of British Columbia is piloting the approach in the Greater Vancouver Regional District. INTERSECT Metro Vancouver is driven by the security preparations for the 2010 Olympics and Paralympic Winter Games. While those in the NCR have already benefitted from Operation INTERSECT, the approach is being recognized nationally and internationally as a model for public safety partnerships integration.