OAKVILLE – MétéoMédia and The Weather Network owner Pelmorex Communications officially launched its National Alert Aggregation & Dissemination System (NAAD) for weather and other warnings today. The company also announced that Environment Canada will participate in the NAAD system by providing more than 80% of the overall NAAD system content.
Pelmorex's NAAD System collects public safety messages (be they weather, train derailments, chemical spills or missing children) from authorized provincial and federal government authorities and distributes those messages by satellite and through the Internet to broadcasting undertakings such as radio and television stations, cable and satellite TV companies and other last mile distributors (LMDs).
Recently the CRTC granted Pelmorex’s Weather Network a six-year license extension on all basic television packages provided it spends $1-million a year “educating the public on and increasing public awareness” of its weather warning system. “This new system has incredible potential to improve public safety by alerting Canadians to the danger at the earliest possible moment," said Vic Toews, Canada’s Public Safety Minister, at the Monday press conference.
“My provincial and territorial colleagues are to be congratulated for their work to bring this system to life. Several have undertaken necessary legislative changes, upgraded their technology, and made considerable investments to ensure Canadians within their jurisdiction will have access to provincial/territorial alerts through the NAAD System,” he added.
The Weather Network and MétéoMédia have a long history of distributing Environment Canada's weather warnings to Canadians over our media properties said Pierre Morrissette, chairman and CEO, Pelmorex. "Our NAAD system builds on that partnership to enable critical public safety messages from any public authority to reach Canadians quickly and safely."
Emergency management is a shared responsibility among governments in Canada. In an effort to improve the safety and security of Canadians and Canadian communities, the federal, provincial and territorial governments have taken an active role to support the CRTC’s decision enabling The Weather Network and MétéoMédia, to make emergency alerts available to broadcasters across Canada.
While buy-in from Canadian broadcasters and distributors is voluntary, Pelmorex executives believe Canadian carriers and broadcasters will agree to install the system and carry the alerts, especially with both Minister Toews and Environment Minister Peter Kent (pictured), who was also on hand, urging full deployment of the NAAD system.
“We hope the broadcasters and distributors agree to carry the signal,” said Minister Kent.
