ABSTRACT
Terrorism has become amajor concern in recent times, but the potential severity of health and natural disasters has been demonstrated in Canada, as well as worldwide, throughout history in one formor another.While vaccination campaigns and public education have led to the eradication ofmany of the past ‘‘killer’’ diseases, and while science and engineering advances have led to more resilient human settlements and infrastructures, at least in our part of the world, we are far from invulnerable. The emergence of newdiseases and the possibility of new pandemics; the exacerbation of weather events by global warming; unforeseen effects of emerging technologies; the asymmetric distribution of wealth and resources leading to increased demographic pressures; the increased complexity of our infrastructures stressing control mechanisms closer and closer to the breaking point; and, not in the least, the greater and greater expectation of protection by the population from its government; these are examples that underscore the need for a robust, all-hazards approach to public safety and security.
