SecureTech 2014 being held in Ottawa this week

SecureTech 2014, a leading public safety, emergency management and security event in Canada starts today in Ottawa at the city’s convention centre.

The event will feature 50,000 square feet of space with more than 160 Canadian and international exhibits. There will also be prominent speakers, specialized workshops, panel discussions and roundtables aimed at defining and delivering the best practices and solutions for law enforcement, paramedics, firefighters, point-of-entry agencies, and search-and-rescue organizations. More than 2,500 attendees from the private and public sectors are expected at the three-day event.

Confirmed keynote speakers include Robert Nicholson, Canada’s Defence Minister, and Steven Blaney, Canada’s Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. Dr. Jeff Kinder from Canada’s National Research Council will also provide a keynote that will address how the Canadian government will utilize technology over the next five to 10 years to enhance public safety.

Working sessions will include presentations from Superintendent Wade Oldford, Director of the National Security Group for Federal Policing Criminal Operations at the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and Phil Lightfoot, Director of Border Technology at the Canada Border Services Agency, who will discuss emerging terrorist threats and what is being done to build Canada’s resilience against terrorism.

This subject is timely since Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, endured a attack in October on its downtown core and parliamentary precinct, when a member of the military was murdered by a terrorist motivated by “ideological and political motives”, according to the RCMP. Earlier the same week, another member of the Canadian military was murdered by a religious extremist in in St-Jean-sur-le-Richelieu, Quebec. The perpetrators of both attacks were eventually killed by security forces during the respective terrorist incidents.

It will be no surprise therefore that the event will deal with the emerging threat of radical religious extremism, especially in the wake of Canada’s involvement in the military campaign against the Islamic State.

The SecureTech event, however will also focus on major security threats. The show will feature a session that will address cybersecurity issues, both in Canada and globally. Francois Guimont, Deputy Minister at Public Safety Canada and Chris Poulin, a Security Strategist at the IBM Global Advanced Security Group, along with Glenn Foster, Senior VP and Head of CyberSecurity at TD Bank will explore what is being done by industry and government to better protect Canadians against cyber threats.

SecureTech will also include sessions on air cargo security and video surveillance. Also in conjunction with the event, Women In Defence and Security (WiDS), an association that advances women in the sector, will also today present its first session of its Professional Development Speakers’ Series, entitled Canadian Women in Defence and Security: Looking Toward Our Futures.

“In the first WiDS professional development speakers’ series, our prominent participants will explore the challenges and opportunities faced by women in the private sector, the military, police services and the public service,” said Vera Reifenstein, President of WiDS. “In today’s world, women have made great strides in representation in these fields, but there are still very real gaps in recruitment and female perspectives. Only by taking an honest look at the current state of affairs can we ensure that women’s unique skills and perspectives are brought to the disciplines of defence and security.”

The featured keynote speaker scheduled for the WiDS session is Gwen Boniface, Deputy Executive Director at International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP).

SecureTech 2014 is scheduled to run November 3-5.

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biometrics  |  Canada  |  police  |  SecureTech  |  security