Canada's military is probing how detailed plans for its new elite counter-terrorism squad headquarters ended up in a trash bin on the streets of the capital, an official said Thursday.

Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said an investigation was underway after the daily Ottawa Citizen identified the 26 top secret blueprints, brought to them by a curious passerby who spotted them in a curbside garbage can.

"If a security breach of some kind has taken place, then clearly that's a huge concern for me," Day told reporters.

The Canadian Joint Incident Response Unit is the Canadian Forces's main responder in the event of a terrorist attack of mass destruction, trained to deal with chemical, biological and radioactive threats.

It was formed after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.

According to the Citizen, the plans showed the layout of the unit's new home at Canadian Forces Base Trenton in Ontario, including its floor plan and the location of a security fence.

The blueprints also show the building's electrical grid, sewer systems, offices, computer sites, workshops, sea container loading docks, and a storage bay for robots designed to detect chemical and biological agents.

The individual who found them said he picked up only one roll, but he counted a total of seven rolls marked "Department of National Defense" in the bin.

The other six rolls have since disappeared, likely ending up in the city dump, said local media.