Canada’s emergency alert system to run nationwide test today

Canada’s Alert Ready system will issue a routine public test today, with messages scheduled to appear on television, radio and compatible mobile devices from late morning through early afternoon. The test is being coordinated by federal, provincial and territorial emergency officials to confirm that the national alerting infrastructure remains reliable.

Officials say the semi-annual tests, held each May and November, allow emergency management teams to practise issuing alerts for situations such as severe weather, wildfires and Amber Alerts. In Western Canada, where communities in British Columbia and Alberta have faced repeated wildfire and flooding emergencies, authorities note that maintaining a dependable alert system is especially important for public safety.

Test messages cannot be opted out of, and the same rule applies to real alerts issued during active emergencies. According to data reported up to the end of October, Alert Ready has delivered nearly 900 emergency notifications across the country this year, underscoring its growing use in response to climate-driven hazards and public safety incidents.