Winter’s bark was worse than its bite for most of the country, and now, with days getting longer and normal temperatures quickly rising, we can look ahead to all the joys that spring brings in Canada.
A battle will set up through April with leftover Arctic air making frequent appearances, especially in the Prairies. An active storm track from the Great Lakes to Atlantic Canada will keep it wet especially in April.
We have not seen the last of the snow just about everywhere east of Victoria and Vancouver but when it does fall, don’t expect it to stick around for long.
The leftover April chill will be replaced by a warmer-than-normal pattern for most of the country later in May and early June.
A cooler-than-normal April is expected across most of Ontario and Quebec, which is a big deviation from the past few months.
The chill won’t last with a return to above seasonal air in May. The turn to mild air will be enough to offset the cool start to spring, which is why above-normal temperatures are forecast for southern Ontario and Quebec.
Much like last spring, an active storm track will lead to above-normal rainfall in areas that really don’t need it.
The Great Lakes are already running near record-high water levels, and a wet spring would mean another round of serious flooding for lakeshore communities.
This could also impact cities further downstream like Montreal as all that excess water flows down the St. Lawrence River.
THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAS CREATED AN ENVIRONMENT THAT HAS HAD AND WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT SERVICES AVAILABLE TO OUR MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES WHO ARE, UNDERSTANDABLY, CONCERNED. THE CAF AND DND ARE DOING THEIR PART TO ASSIST CANADA AND CANADIANS AND WE WILL ASSIST FURTHER BY CREATING LESS BURDEN ON THE PROVINCIAL AND TERRITORIAL HEALTH SERVICES BY DELAYING, WHERE IT IS APPROPRIATE AND DESIRED, RELEASES OF CAF PERSONNEL UNTIL THE SITUATION STABILIZES FURTHER
THE CAF HAS SEEN DECREASED RECRUITING AND TRAINING RESULTING FROM MEASURES RELATED TO COVID 19 SAFETY AND SECURITY. DELAYS TO RELEASES WILL ENSURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO TAKE CARE OF OUR MEMBERS WHILE REDUCING ADMINISTRATIVE RISKS AND PRESERVING OUR CAF STRENGTH
TO THIS END, CAF MEMBERS WHO WISH TO VOLUNTARILY CHANGE THEIR RELEASE DATE, INCLUDING THOSE BEING MEDICALLY RELEASED ARE REQUESTED TO CONTACT THEIR CHAIN OF COMMAND (COC) TO DETERMINE IF THE OPTION TO DELAY RELEASE IS APPROPRIATE FOR THEM. YOUR COC WILL, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOU AND AUTHORIZED RELEASE AUTHORITIES, ASSIST IN COORDINATING NEW RELEASE TIMINGS THAT ARE SUFFICIENTLY DELAYED AS NOT TO BE IMPACTED BY COVID 19 RELATED ISSUES. THE CURRENT RELEASE TARGET DATE SHOULD NOT BE BEFORE 31 AUGUST
FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO CONTINUE WITH THEIR EXISTING PLANS TO RELEASE, YOU CAN EXPECT SOME DELAYS IN ADMINSTRATIVE SUPPORT DUE TO REDUCED STAFFING IN UNITS. YOUR UNDERSTANDING AND FLEXIBILITY IN THESE CHALLENGING TIMES ARE APPRECIATED
FOR MEMBERS WHOSE OFFICIAL RELEASE HAS ALREADY BEEN ACTIONED IN GUARDIAN AND WHO HAVE CONDUCTED THEIR FINAL RELEASE INTERVIEW, YOUR RELEASE WILL PROCEED AS PLANNED
FOR MEMBERS WHO ARE BEING RELEASED BY DMCA UNDER RELEASE ITEM 2A, 5D OR 5F, THE RELEASE DATES CURRENTLY ADVERTISED WILL BE RETAINED WHERE FEASIBLE
FOR MEMBERS WHO ARE BEING RELEASED BY DMCA UNDER RELEASE ITEM 1, THE NORMAL RELEASE PROCESS WILL BE FOLLOWED AND THE RELEASE DATE SHALL BE AS SOON AS PRACTICAL AFTER THE AWARDING OF THE PUNISHMENT IAW REF E
IF YOU REQUEST TO DELAY YOUR DATE OF RELEASE, THERE ARE OTHER FACTORS THAT MUST BE CONSIDERED:
MEMBERS WITH PENSION CONCERNS DUE TO A DELAY OF RELEASE DATE MUST CONTACT PENSION SERVICES AT 1-800-267-0325. THEY WILL ASSIST YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES IN MAKING INFORMED DECISIONS
MEMBERS WHO WILL REACH THE COMPULSARY RETIREMENT AGE 60 (CRA 60) BEFORE RELEASE WILL NEED TO SEEK APPROVAL THROUGH YOUR CHAIN OF COMMAND FOR AN EXTENSION. SUCH REQUESTS WILL BE PROCESSED EXPEDITIOUSLY TO ENSURE NO GAP IN PAY NOR SERVICES
FOR MEMBERS ON AN INTERMEDIATE ENGAGEMENT PERIOD 20 (IE 20), YOU MUST CONTACT PENSION SERVICES AT 1-800-267-0325, TO DISCUSS PENSION IMPLICATIONS CAUSED BY A DELAY OF RELEASE DATE
FOR RESERVE FORCE MEMBERS, PROPER DOCUMENTATION FOR CLASS B AND CLASS C ROUTE LETTERS AND STATEMENTS OF UNDERSTANDING ARE STILL REQUIRED AND ARE SUBJECT TO THE MEMBERS’ CONSENT. YOUR RESERVE FORCE COMPENSATION DOCUMENTATION WILL NEED TO BE AMENDED BY THE APPROPRIATE AUTHORITY. EMPLOYING UNITS WILL ASSIST MEMBERS WITH NECESSARY PAPERWORK AND WILL BE RESPONSIBLE TO RETAIN MEMBERS ON UNIT STRENGTH UNTIL RELEASE
YOU RETAIN THE RIGHT TO RELEASE AND NOTHING IN THIS CFG IS INTENDED TO IMPEDE THESE RIGHTS. THE DELAYED RELEASE OPTION ABOVE IS BEING OFFERED TO ENSURE THAT CAF MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES ARE EFFECTIVELY SUPPORTED IN A TIME OF INCREASED UNCERTAINTY
The Covid-19 pandemic has been a part of our daily lives for several weeks now and will most likely continue to be for some time. The pandemic is of particular concern for Radio Amateurs because ours is a hobby that can be practised by people of all ages from elementary schoolchildren to senior citizens. In fact, it is frequently one of the activities that many take up as they near or begin retirement and finally have the time and resources available to participate. Consequently, we have a high proportion of seniors among our members and indeed some of the Amateur Radio clubs affiliated with RAC are senior citizen organizations.
Canadians are being directed to stay home in order to limit their contact with other people and to “flatten” or “plank” the coronavirus curve. As result, Amateur Radio club meetings and public events have been cancelled and clubs are investigating ways to keep in touch with their members – who are being encouraged to limit direct personal contacts through social/physical distancing and self-isolation – by using existing or new Amateur Radio nets (see below) and/or internet-based communication tools such as Zoom, GoToMeeting, WebEx and many others.
Isolation can have its own potential problems for people who live alone. Amateur Radio is all about communicating and we have the necessary hardware and expertise to enable individuals to stay in touch with their families, friends and colleagues.
Canadian Red Cross Psychological First Aid
The Canadian Red Cross has prepared a “Psychological First Aid Pocket Guide” (PDF file, 631 kB; also shown below) which “provides emotional and practical support to individuals, families and communities who are having difficulty coping. It is about establishing a connection with people in a compassionate non-judgmental manner to bring calm and comfort.”
The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) is assisting the effort at every level. Some regions have already activated their Emergency Operations Centres to help coordinate agencies working the frontline and because of the current state of emergency declared by provinces, territories and municipalities. This does not mean that Amateur Radio Emergency Services are active or will be activated for this event. We provide communications services to mitigate potential failures and currently, despite the reports of concerns, there have been no reported issues.
Amateur Radio nets regularly connect individuals on a scheduled basis, but perhaps they can play additional roles during these difficult times such as helping isolated seniors keep contact with one another and allowing their colleagues and club members to help out when needed. We do not have a complete list of all Amateur Radio nets in Canada but the links at the end of this Message will provide a good start.
The impact and duration of the unprecedented global pandemic we now face has yet to be determined and it is difficult to plan in an uncertain future. However, although the RAC Head Office in Ottawa has been closed indefinitely, the majority of activities and responsibilities of the RAC administration are now being performed remotely. In addition, the RAC Board and Executive and all RAC committees and volunteers continue to work on behalf of all RAC members and for Amateur Radio in Canada and internationally.
The Amateur Radio Service consists of a diverse population, both in age and abilities, and Amateurs and Amateur Radio organizations are adapting to the current crisis and using their skills and knowledge to help in any way they can. RAC is also rising to the challenge and is now looking at ways to do things differently and to take advantage of our technical skills and recent technological advances. For example, we are now in the final stages of organizing both a Basic and an Advanced online Amateur Radio course. More information about this new initiative will be posted on the RAC website in the coming days.
It is interesting that we are discussing this new need for Amateur Radio to provide assistance as we approach World Amateur Radio Day which is held every April 18. It was on that day in 1925 that the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) was formed in Paris and Radio Amateurs worldwide now take to the airwaves each year in celebration.
Appropriately, the theme of World Amateur Radio Day is “Celebrating Amateur Radio’s contribution to Society” and Amateur Radio will play its part as the current global crisis unfolds. RAC is planning to celebrate World Amateur Radio Day this year on the air by inviting Amateurs in Canada and around the world to contact RAC official stations (VA2RAC, VA3RAC etc). The details are still being worked out and we will provide more information about this event in the near future.
Thank you for your continued support and understanding during this time of crisis. Please take care of yourself and your loved ones. Stay safe and, wherever possible, let us help one another during this extraordinary time.
Glenn MacDonell, VE3XRA President, Radio Amateurs of Canada
New RAC Online Amateur Radio Courses: Basic | Advanced
Important Notice: Both of the Basic and Advanced courses are now full and registration has closed. Thank you for your support!
Thank you for the great response to the new RAC online courses! The level of interest in and the demand for the online Amateur Radio Qualification Courses was extraordinary!
Radio Amateurs of Canada offers new Online Amateur Radio Courses
For immediate release:
In response to the current Covid-19 crisis, Radio Amateurs of Canada is pleased to announce that it is introducing two new online Amateur Radio courses so that individuals can upgrade their qualifications while continuing to practise social/physical distancing.
RAC Online Basic Amateur Radio Qualification Course: The course offers an introduction into the wonderful world of Amateur Radio and prepares students for their Basic Qualification Examination. It will be conducted with the assistance of the Annapolis Valley Amateur Radio Club (AVARC) of Nova Scotia. Note: the course is now full and registration has closed.
RAC Maple Leaf Operator Online Advanced Qualification Course: The course is an excellent opportunity to upgrade your qualifications so that you will be able to run higher power and to operate your own repeater sites. The course is being offered at no charge to RAC Maple Leaf Operator Members – both current and future – who already have their Basic Amateur Radio Qualification. Note: the course is now full and registration has closed.
Additional information:
RAC Online Basic Amateur Radio Qualification Course:
This course prepares students for the Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) Basic Qualification Level Operator Certificate exam to operate on allocated Amateur Radio frequencies.
The course will use the GoToMeeting web-based service and will start on Thursday, April 16 and will finish in mid-June. Classes will be held on Thursday evenings from 6 pm to 8:30 (1800 – 2030) Eastern Time (1900 – 2130 Atlantic Time) and Sunday afternoons 1 pm to 3:30 pm (1300 – 1530) Eastern Time (1400 – 1630 Atlantic Time).
The course instructor is Al Penney, VO1NO. Al was first licensed in 1977 and has been active in many areas of Amateur Radio including contesting, DXing, VHF/UHF weak signal, satellites, emergency communications and DXpeditioning. He has served as the President of six different Amateur Radio clubs in both Canada and the United States and currently chairs the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Region 2 Band Planning Committee. Al has taught the Basic Qualification Amateur Radio Course since 1994.
Cost: The registration fee for the course is $50 plus GST/HST. The cost of the Basic Study Guide is extra and an order link will be provided upon completion of payment.
RAC Maple Leaf Operator Online Advanced Qualification Course
The new RAC Online Advanced Qualification Course is an excellent opportunity to upgrade your qualifications so that you will be able to run higher power and to operate your own repeater sites.
The course will be offered at no charge to RAC Maple Leaf Operator Members – both current and future – who already have their Basic Amateur Radio Qualification including:
Current RAC Maple Leaf Operator Members who have Basic certification
Current RAC members who upgrade their memberships to become Maple Leaf Operator Members
Amateurs who are not RAC members but who join RAC at the Maple Leaf Operator Member level
In order to offer maximum flexibility, we will be running two Advanced courses so students will be able to choose one of the following two options:
Sunday afternoons from 3 pm to 5 pm ET
Monday evenings from 8:30 pm to 10:30 pm ET
The course will be 10 sessions in length and each session will be two hours long and it will run from the week of April 5 to the week of June 14.
The course instructor is Dave Goodwin, VE9CB. Dave has been an Amateur since 1975, is an active HF Contester and DXer and has many other interests in Amateur Radio. Since 2015, Dave has been teaching Basic and Advanced certification courses with the Fredericton (NB) Amateur Radio Club. Dave is also RAC’s Atlantic Director.
As the province continues to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, GO Transit has announced a further reduction in service amid a major ridership drop.
Metrolinx spokesperson Anne Marie Aikins told Global News in a statement that with ridership being down by approximately 90 per cent compared to this time last year, adjustments will be made to train and bus services as of Wednesday.
Trains will continue to serve all train stations except for West Harbour GO station in Hamilton, which will periodically be served by Route 18 GO buses. Buses will continue to serve all routes. Some routes will see service every 60 to 90 minutes.
UP Express is unaffected by the temporary reductions. Trains will continue to operate every 30 minutes.
GO Transit also recently announced cash payments won’t be accepted on buses and at train station service counters. Cash will still be accepted at ticket vending machines. Riders were encouraged to top up their Presto fare cards.
As of Friday morning, the Ontario government said there were 3,255 cases of COVID-19 in the province. In total, 67 Ontario residents have died and 1,023 cases have been deemed resolved.
The Canadian Armed Forces is shooting down suggestions of a link between the movement of a large number of army trucks and armoured vehicles and the COVID-19 crisis, after video of the vehicles spurred questions about a potential military mobilization.
Video of the military vehicles being transported by rail circulated on social media over the weekend, sparking calls to the Department of National Defence over whether the Forces was mobilizing or otherwise preparing to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
But the Defence Department says the vehicles were returning from a training exercise that was to be held at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta in May. Canadian Army commander Lt.-Gen. Wayne Eyre cancelled Exercise Maple Resolve last week due to COVID-19.
In response to the social media posts, the Quebec-based 2nd Canadian Division made its own video using the same footage superimposed with the words “No link with the coronavirus.” The message was repeated in French.
The spread of the videos and questions about a potential military mobilization nonetheless sparked concerns within the Defence Department, which has been on heightened alert for false information — deliberate and unintentional — given the current climate with COVID-19.
“The risks and impacts of misinformation during this critical period are real and need close and careful monitoring,” department spokesman Daniel Le Bouthillier said in a statement.
“While it is normal and expected that the public are, at this time, far more sensitive to the public environment, the viral propagation of inaccurate or decontextualized content could lead to confusion or impact efforts to flatten the curve.”
The Canadian military has curbed many of its activities in light of COVID-19. Training exercises and some operations have been suspended or cancelled to protect the force from the respiratory illness and ensure the military is ready to respond should it be called upon.
The frigate HMCS Fredericton has been ordered to cancel a number of port visits and ceremonies during its deployment with a NATO fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, while two other naval vessels are cutting short their drug-interdiction efforts and returning home from the Caribbean.
The military has stopped providing updates on the number of service members who have contracted COVID-19, suggesting the information could be used by adversaries.
Chief of the defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance warned in a letter to military personnel last Friday that they needed to “face the reality that the three-week operational pause we are experiencing now may continue.”
Ontario has granted permanent two-way radio exemption for Amateurs.
For immediate release:
Distracted
driving regulations continue to be an area of interest for many Canadian
Radio Amateurs. These regulations are made and enforced by provincial
governments and can vary considerably from province to province and over
time.
In Ontario, RAC Directors Allan Boyd, VE3AJB (Ontario
North/East) and Phil McBride, VA3QR (Ontario South) have been working
hard on this issue.
We are pleased to announce that effective
February 14, 2020, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation has “made
permanent the exemption under Ontario Regulation 366/09 (Display Screens
and Hand-Held Devices) of the Highway Traffic Act for hand-held two-way radios for commercial drivers and Amateur Radio operators.”
The official publication of the amendment to the regulations is available online at:
The amendment came into force on February 14, 2020.
The key item mentioned in the amendment is as follows:
“5. Subsection 13(2) of the Regulation is revoked.”
This
indicates that the former subsection 13(2), which was the previous time
limit which was set on the exemption for the handheld use of two-way
radios has been removed.
The Metrolinx Board of Directors has endorsed the GO East Rail Extension to Bowmanville.
The board met on Thursday and approved the ‘option two’ plan that was recommenced to them last week.
That option will see the trains head north after Oshawa GO (current
end of the line), travelling on CP Railway’s General Motors spur line to
cross the highway.
Four new station stops will be built, all north of Highway 401.
Two new stations will be in Oshawa – Thornton’s Corners and Ritson (old Knob Hill Farms).
They’ll then stop at a new station in Courtice and finally hit the new end of the line at a station in Bowmanville.
After Metrolinx announced the boards decision, the following
statement was issued on behalf of John Henry, Regional Chair and Chief
Executive Officer for The Regional Municipality of Durham; Dan Carter,
Mayor of the City of Oshawa; and Adrian Foster, Mayor of the
Municipality of Clarington:
“These stations—located at Thornton’s Corners, on the east side of
Thornton Road South in Oshawa, a central station just south of downtown
Oshawa, and GO stations in both Courtice and Bowmanville—will drive
economic revitalization in several key areas, while supporting active
transportation within our communities. This investment is expected to
have a positive economic impact on the communities for the next 50
years.
This project will provide direct access to our local post-secondary
campuses. Further, it will connect to and help strengthen the existing
transit hub in downtown Oshawa (at the junction of Durham Region
Transit’s Rapid Transit on Highway 2 and Simcoe Street in the City of
Oshawa). In Clarington, the stations offer opportunities for
transit-oriented development for walkable, compact, pedestrian-oriented
places where people can work and find entertainment.
It’s been more than 30 years since Durham Region first heard about a
train extension into Clarington. And almost a decade since an approved
environmental assessment confirmed a preferred route north of Highway
401.
We look forward to the results of the Preliminary Design Business
Case process, and learning more about how this project will deliver
two-way, all-day service that balances ridership, benefits and overall
project costs.
The Region of Durham, the City of Oshawa and the Municipality of
Clarington continue to encourage Metrolinx and the province to provide
the financial support to advance this much anticipated project in a
timely manner.”
Residents are now anxiously awaiting a timeline on when construction might start and when the extension could be open for use.
Durham Regional Police have confirmed that their officers used the controversial Clearview AI facial recognition technology. Clearview AI uses images scraped from social media and other websites to cross-reference uploaded images of people. The system reportedly has three billion photos on its database.
The police force was testing the app to determine if it could assist with local investigations. Several police forces have confirmed their use of Clearview AI after a report from the New York Times revealed that numerous police services in North America were using the controversial technology.
Toronto Police, Peel Police and Halton Police have all confirmed that they also used the technology. All of the police forces have stopped using the tool, and are waiting for a decision from the Privacy Commissioner of Ontario for further direction.
It should be noted that the RCMP and the Ontario Provincial Police have not disclosed whether their officers have used or tested the controversial technology.
Microsoft has released a security patch for a dangerous vulnerability affecting hundreds of millions of computers running Windows 10.
The vulnerability is found in a decades-old Windows cryptographic component, known as CryptoAPI. The component has a range of functions, one of which allows developers to digitally sign their software, proving that the software has not been tampered with. But the bug may allow attackers to spoof legitimate software, potentially making it easier to run malicious software — like ransomware — on a vulnerable computer.
“The user would have no way of knowing the file was malicious, because the digital signature would appear to be from a trusted provider,” Microsoft said.
CERT-CC, the the vulnerability disclosure center at Carnegie Mellon University, said in its advisory that the bug can also be used to intercept and modify HTTPS (or TLS) communications.
Microsoft said it found no evidence to show that the bug has been actively exploited by attackers, and classified the bug as “important.”
Independent security journalist Brian Krebs first reported details of the bug.
The National Security Agency confirmed in a call with reporters that it found the vulnerability and turned over the details to Microsoft, allowing the company to build and ready a fix.
Only two years ago the spy agency was criticized for finding and using a Windows vulnerability to conduct surveillance instead of alerting Microsoft to the flaw. The agency used the vulnerability to create an exploit, known as EternalBlue, as a way to secretly backdoor vulnerable computers. But the exploit was later leaked and was used to infect thousands of computers with the WannaCry ransomware, causing millions of dollars’ worth of damage.
Anne Neuberger, NSA’s director of cybersecurity, told TechCrunch that once the vulnerability was discovered, it went through the vulnerabilities equities process, a decision-making process used by the government to determine if it should retain control of the flaw for use in offensive security operations or if it should be disclosed to the vendor. It’s not known if the NSA used the bug for offensive operations before it was reported to Microsoft.
“It’s encouraging to see such a critical vulnerability turned over to vendors rather than weaponized.”
Neuberger confirmed Microsoft’s findings that NSA had not seen attackers actively exploiting the bug.
Jake Williams, a former NSA hacker and founder of Rendition Infosec, told TechCrunch that it was “encouraging” that the flaw was turned over “rather than weaponized.”
“This one is a bug that would likely be easier for governments to use than the common hacker,” he said. “This would have been an ideal exploit to couple with man in the middle network access.”
Microsoft is said to have released patches for Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016, which is also affected, to the U.S. government, military and other high-profile companies ahead of Tuesday’s release to the wider public, amid fears that the bug would be abused and vulnerable computers could come under active attack.
The software giant kept a tight circle around the details of the vulnerabilities, with few at the company fully aware of their existence, sources told TechCrunch. Only a few outside the company and the NSA — such as the government’s cybersecurity advisory unit Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency — were briefed.
CISA also issued a directive, compelling federal agencies to patch the vulnerabilities.
Williams said this now-patched flaw is like “a skeleton key for bypassing any number of endpoint security controls,” he told TechCrunch.
Skilled attackers have long tried to pass off their malware as legitimate software, in some cases by obtaining and stealing certificates. Last year, attackers stole a certificate belonging to computer maker Asus to sign a backdoored version of its software update tool. By pushing the tool to the company’s own servers, “hundreds of thousands” of Asus customers were compromised as a result.
When certificates are lost or stolen, they can be used to impersonate the app maker, allowing them to sign malicious software and make it look like it came from the original developer.
Dmitri Alperovitch, co-founder and chief technology officer at security firm CrowdStrike, said in a tweet that the NSA-discovered bug was a “critical issue.”
