STORY:
Canadian Government Y2K Ready

Federal Report will say mission critical systems are 99-percent compliant

The Canadian government's mission critical computer systems are 99-percent compliant when it comes to rid itself of the computer Y2K bug. In a report to be released soon, Canadian officials say it is virtually impossible to declare its computer systems and related equipment failsafe even under normal conditions.

Some government functions such as Old Age Security, Employment Insurance and the Health Department have reportedly gone ahead and pronounced themselves 100 compliant. Non-critical government systems, such as computers used for non-essential tasks in federal offices, are considered 94 percent ready. Canada's air traffic system has declared itself Y2K compliant.

Earlier in the year, a report from the auditor general said 50 percent of the federal government's computers systems were prepared for Y2K. The government has spent $2.5 billion (CDN) and employed 11,000 people to date to fix its systems.

The federal government now is focusing much of its energies studying the state of readiness of Canada's major trading partners, as well as making sure Canadians are well informed and not panicked.

A new pamphlet is scheduled to be mailed out to millions of homes this fall reminding people they should evaluate what the Y2K risks are in their homes and communities and make reasonable preparations.

Internally, the government will be busy producing contingency plans for all its essential systems to make sure business will continue after Jan. 1 in the event of a failure.

Source: London Times

DATE: 8/10/99

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