TORONTO – Astral will use its digital network signs in Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver to broadcast Amber Alerts, the company said Wednesday.
The Astral Out-of-Home Amber Alert Program will enable local authorities to engage the public in a fast response effort to identify and locate abducted children and protect them from harm. In the event of an Amber Alert, the display of regular ads will be interrupted to allow the urgent message to appear exclusively and updated regularly from its national control centre as the situation evolves.
"Maintaining close ties with communities across Canada is at the heart of our management philosophy and our employees’ values," said Luc Sabbatini, president of Astral Out-of-Home, in the announcement. "As responsible citizens we have an extraordinary ability to help the Amber Alert Program raise awareness, at times when our communities need us the most."
Astral’s digital network currently has 23 locations in Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver, but that number is scheduled to increase to 32 locations by January 2011. The combined reach of the network exceeds two million people.
