Canadian citizens living on the Island are being asked to sign up on an emergency register in case they have to be evacuated in the wake of a national disaster.

Yesterday Canadian Consul Paul Roue, on a visit to the Island from New York, said that the register would enable Canadian authorities to identify and quickly contact any of its citizens should they need to leave the Island quickly.

"This is part of a programme that we have throughout the world and, in the case of a national emergency, it would help us if we needed to evacuate Canadian citizens,'' Mr. Roue said.

"A number of hurricanes in the region highlighted the problem and, when we looked through our files, we realised that we didn't have a registration programme for Bermuda.

"We think there are between 1,000 and 1,600 Canadians resident on the Island, although again the register will give us a better idea of the actual figure.'' Although it is not compulsory to fill out the form, which will ask for basic details such as name, address and telephone number, registration forms are available from the Ministry of Labour in Government Offices on Parliament Street, Hamilton. Alternatively the Canadian Commission to Bermuda can be contacted on the internet at http:/Canada-Bermuda.org.

Mr. Roue said that newly appointed Canadian commissioner to the Island, Michael Phillips, is due to visit Bermuda in the New Year and civil servants are also looking at the possibility of appointing an honorary consul on the Island.