Canada’s wireless providers to test emergency public alerting system on May 7, 9
Cellphones, tablets and other portable devices will sound off across Canada next week to test Canada’s new public emergency alert system.
The National Public Alerting System, also known as Alert Ready, delivers emergency notifications on television, radio, and as of April 6, straight to your cellphone.
The country’s broadcast and telecom regulator says the tests will be carried out Monday, May 7, in Ontario and Quebec and on Wednesday, May 9, in the rest of the country.
Test signals will go to every mobile device connected to an LTE network and will also be aired on TV and radio stations in the same regions.
Depending on the service provider, the alerts could make a distinctive noise or simply buzz a device, although in some cases, users will have to acknowledge receipt of the alert before being able to resume normal function of their devices.
Radio and television stations will air an audible squealing siren sound, along with an emergency test message.
The mandatory tests are being conducted as part of national Emergency Preparedness Week, which begins May 6.
For more information on test times, check Alertready.ca.