News release

N.S. Promotes Emergency Management Priorities

Emergency Management Office

Nova Scotia is taking action to ensure Nova Scotians are adequately prepared for emergency situations.

Nova Scotia will promote three key public safety initiatives as it co-chairs a meeting of deputy ministers responsible for emergency management in Ottawa next week.

"We've had significant events in Nova Scotia that highlight the need to make improvements," said Carolyn Bolivar-Getson, Minister of Emergency Management.

"Public alerting, disaster mitigation strategies and broader disaster financial assistance programs would give Nova Scotians added security."

Craig MacLaughlan, CEO of the Emergency Management Office, says the Ottawa meeting of federal, provincial and territorial representatives is an opportunity to advance practical solutions for even greater public safety.

"We're committed to taking an all-hazards approach to emergency management, which means our residents need to be prepared to handle any kind of emergency, at any hour of the day," he said. "That's why we continue to promote the need for individual preparedness, and will also consult with our local and regional broadcasters to find the most effective means of public alerting."

Ministers responsible for emergency management set the three priorities at their annual meeting last January in Vancouver. Nova Scotia will host their next meeting, scheduled for January 2008.