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Technology Stocks : Discuss Year 2000 Issues -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: NickSE who wrote (2647)	10/4/1998 2:20:00 PM
From: John Mansfield	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9818

RCMP on alert for Y2K disaster Kathryn May The Ottawa Citizen Preparing for the worst, the RCMP has taken the unusual step of issuing a nationwide ban on all vacation and leave to ensure a full force is available to fight the millennium bug. The ban, which stretches from Dec. 27, 1999, to March 15, 2000, is part of the RCMP's emergency preparedness strategy to "expect the unexpected and work for the worst case scenario," said Dave Morreau, who heads the RCMP's Year 2000 project. "I'm not Chicken Little saying the sky is falling, but we are likely to have problems so we have to make sure, as a national police force, that we are ready for whatever happens," said Mr. Morreau. Mr. Morreau said the RCMP isn't braced for a major disaster, but "it's only prudent and precautionary" for the force to prepare for the worst with contingency plans to handle major disruptions to supplies of power, fuel, water, and communications. While nobody really knows for certain what will happen at the stroke of midnight on Jan. 1, 2000, the calamity theories abound. Some believe the millennium bug could cause minor disruptions, while others predict it could trigger foul-ups in computers that control everything from hydro and financial systems to air traffic control. Some are calling for an economic slowdown, if not a full-blown recession. Most computer systems use two digits, not four, to denote years. This means that when 2000 comes, they could read "00" as "1900," potentially fouling up or crashing any service that relies on computers. The RCMP's 29 computer systems are among the so-called "mission critical" systems the federal government says must be repaired by 2000 to ensure the "health, safety and well-being of Canadians." Mr. Morreau says the force has already fixed and tested about 90 per cent of its systems, putting it well ahead of the readiness of most federal departments and agencies. Mr. Morreau said the vacation ban was imposed for nearly three months to ensure it included all the dates that computer experts say ill-prepared computer systems would be likely to crash or malfunction. He said they expect most glitches should surface within five days of Jan. 1. But he said a number of other dates around March 1 could cause problems if computers fail to recognize that 2000 is a leap year and February has 29 days. The order marks one of the few times that headquarters has imposed national ban on leave for all employees, including its 15,000 police officers and 2,400 civilian staff. Local RCMP divisions typically impose such restrictions to mobilize workers for a specific event in a city, such as a strike or visiting dignitaries. A similar sweeping order was issued when Pope John Paul II visited Canada in 1984. Mr. Morreau said the RCMP has been trying to create "as accurate an intelligence picture" as possible of Canada's state of preparedness for the millennium. The key problem is that many businesses and utilities are reluctant to discuss whether their systems have been fixed for fear of facing lawsuits from their customers or clients should things go awry after Jan. 1, 2000. In a memo to employees, RCMP Commissioner Phil Murray said some predict the millennium bug could cause disruptions similar to those of last winter's ice storm, which wiped out power for several weeks to homes across Eastern Ontario and West Quebec. "It is not expected that we will experience 'Ice Storm' conditions during this entire period. However, problems probably of a limited duration may occur," said the memo. "This policy will ensure that as a minimum 100 per cent of the RCMP will be available to meet whatever situation occurs." ottawacitizen.com