Security experts from 52 countries will attend the World Terrorist and Disaster Management Conference in Toronto Monday, just as terrorism moves to the top of the agenda once again after last week's London bombings.

Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan will speak at the conference. She is also the minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, created two years ago as a response to the events of September 11, 2001.

More than 1,500 experts are expected to attend, including police, military and city councilors.

It will be the 15th World Terrorist and Disaster Management Conference to date, and is presented by the Canadian Centre for Emergency Preparedness.

The conference was scheduled months before the London attacks, and experts had planned to focus on the response to natural disasters such as last December's tsunami is Southeast Asia.

"We've been concerned for some time that terrorism has taken too much of the attention, to the degree that being prepared for other more likely events has actually suffered," Adrian Gordon, Executive Director, Canadian Centre for Emergency Preparedness, told CTV News.

Experts say the world can learn from Canada's efficient responses to past natural disasters, such as ice storms and the recent flooding in Alberta.

"Here in Canada you have a wealth of experience in responding to natural disasters," Peter Power, a retired Scotland Yard official, told CTV News.

Still, like many of the experts who will attend the conference, Power is also concerned about how to defend against terrorism.

"Complacency: that's probably the worst enemy of all," Power said. 

Canadian security measures

John Thompson, a security analyst, believes Canada has been slow to act in strengthening security against possible terrorist attacks.

"Instead of rushing to set up new command posts with new communications and computers right after 9/11, we're still talking about doing it," he told CTV News.

Some experts believe Toronto is a prime location for such an attack.

"By its very nature, Toronto being the financial hub of Canada, we must probably be the highest potential target," Gordon said.

He says specific targets within Toronto include the Rogers Centre, CN Tower, subways and commuter trains.

Experts say transit systems are an easy target for terrorists because they are extremely difficult to secure.

London has much higher security measures than Toronto, but its transit system was still devastated by last week's bombings, in which at least 49 people died. Four timed explosions were set off in three subway trains and a double-decker bus.

With reports from CTV's Denelle Balfour