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

To: John Mansfield who wrote (3032)	12/25/1998 5:44:00 AM
From: John Mansfield	Respond to of 9818

' Quebec to invest $725M against Y2K problem The Millennium Timebomb series More Technology stories MONTREAL (CP) -- The Quebec government plans to spend $725 million next year to prevent its computer networks from crashing in the year 2000. Jacques Leonard, president of the Treasury Board, says most of the computers have been reset but more work is needed to protect against service interruptions. "We have asked all our departments and organizations to identify services that are essential to the health and safety of our citizens and to the stability of our economy," Leonard said this week. Quebec is not the only province taking steps to prevent potential mayhem. Nova Scotia, for example, has estimated it will have to spend $87 million to avoid trouble. Governments and corporations are worried about the so-called millennium bug, the inability by computer networks to recognize the year 2000 on their internal clocks. Systems could crash and cause failures in everything from databases to traffic lights. Quebec's auditor general recently warned that the province is still unprepared for the problem. Guy Breton said health and social services are particularly vulnerable. Leonard said two-thirds of his millennium budget, or $500 million, is intended for that network. Municipal officials are also concerned about the potential for hardship such as was caused by last January's ice storm. The storm destroyed power lines and left millions of people in Quebec and Ontario in the dark and cold for several weeks. "It's not just utilities like Hydro-Quebec we're worried about," said Michel Champagne of Montreal's fire department. "Many large apartment buildings with computerized heating systems could fail, forcing hundreds of tenants to fend off -30 degree temperatures. "We'd have to find shelter for them," Champagne added." Quebec civil defence officials say they've started planning for computer failure. "We are asking municipalities to be prepared," said spokesman Marc Lavallee. "We are suggesting they check with landlords about having emergency generators or setting up food kitchens for their tenants." 'http://www.canoe.ca/Year2000Crisis/dec24_quebec.html