The SitCen is Transport Canada 's emergency operations center ( EOC ) , originally constructed to deal with earthquakes along the British Columbia Coast . It had been used several times prior to September 11 , 2001 , including the January 1998 North American ice storm and after Swissair Flight 111 crashed off the coast from Peggy 's Cove , Nova Scotia on September 2 , 1998 . As personnel staffed the SitCen , key organizations such as NAV CANADA , the Department of National Defence , the Royal Canadian Mounted Police ( RCMP ) , Canadian Security Intelligence Service ( CSIS ) , Citizenship and Immigration Canada ( CIC ) , and Canada Customs and Revenue Agency ( CCRA ) were also involved in SitCen operations . One of the tasks of the SitCen was to maintain contact with other members of the Canadian aviation community , such as the Air Transport Association of Canada and local airport authorities . Their counterparts in the FAA ( United States ) and other international civil aviation authorities were also kept apprised
Swissair Flight 111
Swissair Flight 111
Operation Yellow Ribbon