To the Editor:

Professor Andrew Graham states that co-ordination of activities is not in evidence between the public and private sectors to address risk to critical infrastructure in Canada. He argues that collaboration is needed at every level within both sectors and he describes a number of steps to make it right.

The Ontario Critical Infrastructure Assurance Program (OCIAP) is a partnership between federal, provincial, and municipal levels of government and private sector industries and firms that operate in the Province. Participants collaborate to improve resilience through sharing information about systems' dependencies and interdependencies. The OCIAP is in its 10th year and it is co-ordinated by Emergency Management Ontario (EMO).

Critical infrastructure is essential to our way of life. The OCIAP is effective because it provides an environment which encourages collaboration amongst a widely dispersed group.

Professor Graham is on the mark in stating that there is a need to address risk to critical infrastructure and that collaboration amongst owners and operators is a means to do so. The OCIAP is evidence of a program that brings the public and private sectors together to improve resilience.

Allison J. Stuart

Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief

Emergency Management Ontario