National emergency alert system being tested Wednesday in much of Canada
Posted May 9, 2023 02:07:32 PM.
Canada’s national emergency alert system, Alert Ready, will be conducting a test on Wednesday that will include all provinces and territories, with the exception of Alberta and Quebec.
Public test messages from the emergency alerting system will be sent to all TV and radio stations, as well as wireless devices.
In Ontario, the test is scheduled for 12:55 p.m. ET. The test times vary for the rest of Canada.
The testing sound will simulate an emergency alert, beginning with the alert tone. The message will indicate that it is a test and does not require action.
These tests are usually conducted twice a year, in May and in November. Alberta and Quebec don’t have a test scheduled in May.
Canadians do not have the option to opt out of the test or actual alerts.
Emergency alerts are issued for kidnappings (Amber Alerts) and other policing-related situations, as well as in the event of biological threats, hazardous materials, air quality, falling objects, severe weather, national security, civil emergencies, animal danger and 911 outages.
In Ontario, the provincial government also classifies these events as emergencies.
With files from Nick Westoll of CityNews, and The Canadian Press
