OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The next test of Canada’s National Public Alerting System has been scheduled for Wednesday, May 8, though Ontario and Quebec will not take part due to issues with ongoing flooding in parts of those provinces.
Conducted by provincial emergency management organizations, test alerts should appear on every updated and compatible mobile device connected to a LTE wireless network in participating provinces and territories and will be simultaneously distributed on radio and television. The messages will be identified as test alerts and will not require Canadians to take action.
The alerts will be sent out according to the following schedule on May 8:
Alberta 1:55 PM (MDT)
British-Colombia 1:55 PM (PDT)
Manitoba 1:55 PM (CDT)
New Brunswick 10:55 AM (ADT)
Newfoundland & Labrador 10:55 AM (NDT) and 10:25 AM (ADT) in Labrador
Northwest Territories 1:55 PM (MDT)
Nova Scotia 1:55 PM (ADT)
Nunavut 1:55 PM (EDT)
Ontario No test due to flooding
Quebec No test due to flooding
Prince Edward Island 12:55 PM (ADT)
Saskatchewan 1:55 PM (CST)
Yukon 1:55 PM (PDT)
Many wireless service providers have already sent SMS text messages to their subscribers notifying them of the upcoming May 8 test, though receipt of that message does not mean that a device is compatible to receive wireless emergency alerts. Device compatibility, software version, phone settings and connection to an LTE network can impact whether the alert is received. However, all devices sold by wireless service providers after April 6, 2019 must be compatible with wireless public alerting, as per the CRTC’s target.
The Alert Ready system was developed with many partners including federal, provincial, and territorial government agencies, the broadcasting industry, wireless service providers, and Pelmorex, owner of The Weather Network/MeteoMedia. The system has enabled government authorities to deliver emergency alerts to Canadians during threat-to-life situations over television and radio since 2015 and to compatible wireless devices since April 2018. Canadians do not have the option to opt-out of the service.
Pelmorex is the operator of the National Alert Aggregation and Dissemination system, which is the technical backbone of the Alert Ready system.
"While more than 120 emergency alerts have been successfully transmitted to Canadians over television, radio and wireless devices since April 2018, having regular tests allows us to better educate Canadians about Alert Ready and provide an opportunity to validate and improve the end to end performance and reliability of the system," said Martin Belanger, director of public alerting at Pelmorex, in a statement.
"Testing is a standard part of the emergency management process and we're pleased that this upcoming test will be available to more Canadians than ever before," added Rob Ghiz, president and CEO of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA). "Every successive test helps all partners evaluate and improve upon the systems and processes that are in place. Testing also helps Canadians understand how their devices will react to the alert."
