When a cyberattack threatens a region’s infrastructure, the decisions reach far beyond IT. Business continuity, public safety, communication, and community trust all become part of the same crisis.
On Oct. 20, 2026, St. Clair College and siberX co-hosted Operation: Defend the North at the St. Clair College Centre for the Arts, for a live tabletop exercise built around a fictional cyberattack involving the Windsor–Detroit tunnel.
“This is great, real-world scenario actions, not only for the tunnel, but it's really every organization that's here,” said Tal Czudner, CEO of the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel. Czudner acted as part of the scenario, which walked attendees through a step-by-step process of what to do in the event of a real cyberattack.
“We're an international border crossing. It’s the number one passenger vehicle crossing connecting Canada and the United States. So, if an incident were to happen, how are we going to handle it?” Czudner said. “Who are we going to get involved in challenging the community to help manage this, so it doesn't spiral out of control and really become an international incident?”
The live simulation featured a panel of experts, executives, cybersecurity leaders, IT professionals, and educators ready to bring their experience to the room, each lending their expertise about what to do, who to involve, how to communicate and how to maintain operations throughout the fictional cybersecurity incident.
The sessions focused on detection and analysis, then containment, eradication, and eventually, recovery, inviting conference guests into the response of the real-world crisis.
“All of the panelists are not experts technically, but you know what they are experts in? Dealing with a situation that's getting out of hand,” said Ali Abbas Hirji, the chair of Operation Defend the North and simulation navigator. “What a lot of people forget is that in cybersecurity incidents like this, it’s the psychological side of it, the mental health side of it. It is very easy to panic.”
“It is very easy to end up rushing to decisions because you just want the situation to be over. These leaders are reminding you that you're going to have to go through it,” Hirji said. “An incident can feel like you're going through hell. But as they say, if you're going through hell, you keep going. These experts are showing you how to keep going.”
The day closed with a general discussion about lessons learned, as guests and panelists shared their insights into how the situation was handled and what could have been improved while dealing with the crisis.
“The challenges facing organizations are becoming increasingly complex. The ability to anticipate threats, respond effectively, and collaborate across sectors has never been more important,” said St. Clair College President, Michael Silvaggi, as he greeted guests of the conference. “At St. Clair College, we are proud to host this important national initiative and to support the development of the talent, knowledge, and partnerships needed to safeguard our digital future.”
“Cybersecurity is not simply a technology issue. It is a leadership issue, a business issue, and ultimately a community issue,” President Silvaggi added.
“As cyber threats continue to evolve, organizations must work collectively to strengthen security awareness, preparedness, and response capabilities,” said Amar Singh, co-chair of Operation Defend the North Windsor and St. Clair College Chief Information Officer and Chief Information Security Officer. “ODTN provided a platform for leaders and practitioners to exchange best practices, discuss emerging threats, and develop strategies that support a safer and more secure digital ecosystem.”
Guests at the conference included IT professionals, executives, small business owners, cybersecurity professionals, students and faculty members.
“Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility. By bringing together experts from across sectors, ODTN helped foster the partnerships and knowledge needed to address today's cyber challenges and build a stronger digital future for our communities,” Singh added.
Conference organizer siberX is an innovator in this space, bringing their live simulations to other cities across Canada, including Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and for the first time this year, Windsor.
“You don't want the first time you're thinking about a cyber crisis to be when you're in the middle of one. That's really what Operation: Defend the North is about,” said Mahdi Raza, CEO of siberX. “We're bringing real-world challenges into the room and giving people a chance to see how quickly decisions need to be made, how different sectors depend on one another, and what it takes to keep a community moving when something goes wrong.”
“Bringing this experience to Windsor is especially meaningful because cybersecurity doesn't stop at the borders of an organization, a city, or a country,” Raza said.
Young Defenders of the North
The simulation in the main ballroom wasn’t the only thing going on. About 80 high school students from Assumption, Holy Names, Catholic Central and North Star joined the day for the Young Defenders of the North Hackathon.
The students had a chance to try cybersecurity for themselves during the daylong hackathon happening alongside Operation Defend the North at St. Clair College.
“It introduced us to cybersecurity really well. A lot of us are beginners, and I don’t have that much experience in cybersecurity, but this event has allowed me to experience it and evaluate if I like it or not,” said Shehwaz Saini, a student at Assumption High School.
College student mentors and high school teachers were there to help, and students also had a chance to interact and network with people working in the field, introducing them to the cybersecurity space.
“This event is really good for networking for highschoolers who may be in the same field as them,” added Nyator Simon, also from Assumption.
Amar Singh was adamant that the Young Defenders event would take place simultaneously with the main conference, to introduce the next generation of leaders to the world of cybersecurity.
“We're doing this for business leaders, executives, IT professionals, and anybody else who is interested in being prepared. However, we can't forget about our youth, because our youth are going to be the defenders of the future,” Singh said. “And if we get them in at the ground floor, we get them excited, we show them what they can do and help them harness their potential.”
“Our job is to teach them so that when they come up, they can protect us and also make sure that we're not in these kinds of situations,” said Singh. “It's just so much better to start at a young age, because practice makes perfect.”
