OAKVILLE – Ontario weather alerts from The Weather Network are now accessible on the web, via e-mail, mobile web and SMS, the company announced today.
Pelmorex Media, parent company of The Weather Network/MétéoMédia is extending its All Channel Alert emergency alerting services to display warnings from participating provinces on its web sites and through its e-mail and text messaging services.
The distribution of provincial alerts is already offered on The Weather Network and MétéoMédia specialty television channels in New Brunswick, Ontario and Québec. This expanded service allows provincial authorities to reach a much broader audience more quickly when there are situations of imminent threat to life, such as those caused by forest fires, toxic spills, floods and other disasters.
“Television audiences have become familiar with the red scrolling banner we use to broadcast Environment Canada weather warnings,” said Paul Temple, senior vice-president of strategic and regulatory affairs at Pelmorex. “Now this same banner will appear on our web site, including the mobile versions for cell phones while the alerts will also be sent through our e-mail and text messaging services.”
The Weather Network and MétéoMédia are among the most visited websites in Canada, with an average of 42 million visits each month. In addition, Pelmorex issues over 200,000 e-mails and text messages daily to Canadians who subscribe to its services. “This gives provincial authorities a powerful new tool to reach people in times of danger,” Temple added.
Cell phone users can receive alerts by signing up for the WarningsDirect text message service at www.theweathernetwork.com/mobile.
