World Conference on Disaster Management

Temperatures in the mid-90s was just one reason Toronto was a hotspot last week for the Emergency Management and BCP communities. Three days after the London bombings, the 15th World Conference on Disaster Management (WCDM) opened beneath the soaring CN Tower, with record attendance, high profile speakers, and a host of international experts which attracted unprecedented media attention.

Its program breadth and quality has made WCDM the premier conference addressing issues across the disaster management spectrum. And it truly is a World Conference, with 1,500 attendees coming from over fifty countries.

The agenda covered the big issues. One sequence of sessions examined the local implications of global climate change, prompting many experienced disaster management professionals to say they now understand “why this should be on everyone’s radar screen”. Several speakers addressed the serious threat of an influenza pandemic, with presentations by the most senior federal and provincial officials. And, while terrorism was on everyone’s mind, the Canadian Centre for Emergency Preparedness, presenters of the event, intentionally encouraged discussion on a broad range of issues, with a clear emphasis on an all hazards approach to emergency management and business continuity.

Beginning late Thursday morning, events in London sparked daily waves of media inquiries about the event and its speakers. Several conference participants were kept so busy by reporters and camera crews, they had little time to attend sessions other than their own. The 40+ media outlets in attendance gave each day’s proceedings unexpected drama, with spontaneous scrums each day leading to international television and newspaper coverage.

To learn more about the Canadian Centre for Emergency Preparedness (sponsor of WCDM), please visit: www.ccep.ca