As the list of international emergencies continues to grow - from recent severe weather events and the effects of climate change to the very real threat of an influenza pandemic and ongoing terrorist activity, to cyber threats and the risk of disruption to mission-critical business systems - experts from 40 countries are gathering in Toronto next week for the 18th World Conference on Disaster Management, open to members of the media as well as the general public from Monday, June 16, through to Wednesday, June 18 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, South Building.

Delegates from all disciplines in emergency and business continuity management will examine the steps required to improve preparedness, response, and recovery - in this country and internationally - and will explore individual, community and business resiliency in the face of ever-increasing challenges.

Highlights of the unique forum - presented by the Canadian Centre for Emergency Preparedness (CCEP), in association with Diversified Business Communications - Canada (DBCC) - include more than 100 exhibits showcasing a wide range of innovative products and services that enable people to prepare for and respond to all types of disasters, as well as the following sessions presented by Canadian and international speakers:

Monday, June 16

- 8:15 a.m. - Opening remarks by Jim Hall, Vice-President, Roche Canada.

- 8:30 a.m. - An examination of how global threats manifest as very different local risks, often creating misunderstanding as to how they should be managed, by Carl Gibson, Director, Risk Management Unit at La Trobe University (Melbourne, Australia).

- 9:45 a.m. - A presentation called Preparing for the Coming Cyber War, by Kevin G. Coleman, a Strategic Security Advisor with the Technolytics Institute (a privately held think-tank in the U.S.) and former Chief Strategist of Netscape, that will examine the implications of cyber war, including what would happen if one day the Internet stopped.

- 10:45 a.m. - Alex McGill, State Co-ordinator of Disaster/Emergency Exercises for Queensland Health in Australia will outline the role of the health system and the specific challenges facing Queensland Health when Cyclone Larry, a Category 5 tropical storm, struck the Australian coast in March, 2006.

- 1:45 p.m. - A look at strategies for organizational preparedness and how to ensure employees are ready to react during a crisis, presented by Scot Phelps, Associate Professor, Emergency Management (School of Health and Human Services), at Southern Connecticut State University and former Assistant Commissioner for Emergency Management at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

- 3:00 p.m. - A glimpse into the future as Alain Normand, Municipal Emergency Manager for the city of Brampton, Ontario, describes the Business Emergency Network, a joint project by the city and York University aimed at creating a more resilient business community.

Tuesday, June 17

- 8:30 a.m. - With natural catastrophes on the rise, Regina Phelps, Founder and President of U.S.-based EMS Solutions, will provide suggestions on how to incorporate climate change into the business continuity planning process.

- 9:45 a.m. - A presentation called Fight or Flight? Assumed Reactions of the Public in a Crisis Situation by Misse Wester, a researcher at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, who will present the results of a survey conducted among crisis communicators in order to better understand their assumptions about public behaviour.

- 10:45 a.m. - A look at lessons learned from the catastrophic flooding in the County of Gloucestershire, U.K., in July 2007, presented by Terry Standing, Group Director of Community Safety, who managed the crisis, including the co-ordination of more than 500 boat rescues and 2,000 calls for assistance within the first 24 hours.

- 10:45 a.m. - A session led by Ralph Dunham, Canadian Business Continuity Practice Leader for Marsh Canada and former IBM executive, aimed at helping businesses prepare for a pandemic by incorporating the right elements into their risk management program.

Click here to read more.