A test of Alert Ready, Canada’s National Public Alerting System, will take place on May 10, 2023, across most provinces and territories. Canadians in participating provinces and territories will receive one test message from their respective provincial or territorial emergency management organization over television, radio, and compatible wireless devices at the times indicated below.
|
PROVINCE/TERRITORY |
LOCAL TESTING TIME |
|
Alberta |
No Test |
|
British Columbia |
1:55 PM PDT |
|
Manitoba |
1:55 PM CDT |
|
New Brunswick |
10:55 AM ADT |
|
Northwest Territories |
9:55 AM MDT |
|
Nova Scotia |
1:55 PM ADT |
|
Newfoundland and Labrador |
10:55 AM NDT |
|
Nunavut |
2:00 PM EDT |
|
Ontario |
12:55 PM EDT |
|
Prince Edward Island |
12:55 PM ADT |
|
Quebec |
No Test |
|
Saskatchewan |
1:55 PM CST |
|
Yukon |
1:55 PM MST |
The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecom (CRTC) requires wireless service providers and broadcasters to send at least one test alert per year, either in May during Emergency Preparedness Week and/or in November. Participation in the testing of Alert Ready is at the sole discretion of each provincial and territorial emergency management organization (EMO).
The test message will simulate an emergency alert, beginning with the alert tone, known as the Canadian Alert Attention Signal. The message will indicate that it is a test and does not require action from the public.
Testing of the Alert Ready system provides the opportunity to:
- Increase public awareness about the system and spark emergency preparedness conversations, so that Canadians can be ready and prepared in the event of an actual emergency.
- Validate the effectiveness and reliability of the system to ensure it operates as intended from end to end.
- Provides an opportunity for Emergency Management officials to practice sending alerts to the public
Alert Ready was developed in collaboration with federal, provincial, and territorial government agencies, Pelmorex, the broadcasting industry and wireless service providers. Each stakeholder has a unique and important role to play in the Alert Ready process.
Given the importance of warning Canadians of imminent threat to the safety of life and property, Canadians do not have the option to opt-out of this essential life-saving service. In 2022, the Alert Ready system delivered more than 820 public emergency alert messages to Canadians. A breakdown of alert types that were issued by province and territory can be found here.
For ongoing updates about the test, follow the official Alert Ready Twitter page
