You can find past Alert Ready updates here.
May 4, 2021
Canada’s public alerting system, Alert Ready, will distribute Test Alerts on television, radio and compatible wireless devices in most provinces and territories during Emergency Preparedness Week
OAKVILLE, ON, May 4, 2021– On May 5, 2021, Alert Ready will distribute a public test message, across most provinces and territories. Each participating provincial and territorial emergency management organization will issue one test message over television, radio and compatible wireless devices at the times indicated below.
Alert Ready Test Times – May 5, 2021 by Province/Territory
| Province/Territory | Test Time |
| Alberta | No Test Scheduled |
| British Columbia | 1:55 PM PDT |
| Manitoba | 1:55 PM CDT |
| New Brunswick | 10:55 AM ADT |
| Newfoundland & Labrador | 10:55 AM NDT |
| Northwest Territories | No Test Scheduled |
| Nova Scotia | No Test Scheduled |
| Nunavut | No Test Scheduled |
| Ontario | No Test Scheduled |
| Prince Edward Island | 12:55 PM ADT |
| Quebec | No Test Scheduled |
| Saskatchewan | 1:55 PM CST |
| Yukon | 1:55 PM PDT |
Alert Ready was developed in collaboration with federal, provincial, and territorial government agencies, Pelmorex, the broadcasting industry and wireless service providers. Testing of the system provides an opportunity to:
While Alert Ready may be most known in some provinces for the distribution of AMBER Alerts to the public, it is also designed to deliver other critical and potentially lifesaving, including but not limited to tornado, flooding, fire, and civil emergency warnings. A comprehensive list of alert types can be found here.
“In 2020, the Alert Ready System enabled government authorities to deliver 180 emergency alerts, with 21 emergency alerts issued so far in 2021 to Canadians,” says Martin Belanger, Director of Public Alerting at Pelmorex. “Pelmorex receives alerts from authorized alert issuers and makes those alerts available to alert distributors which include television, radio, satellite, cable and wireless service providers.”
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.
November 23, 2020
Test Alerts will be issued on Television, Radio and Compatible Wireless Devices in most provinces and territories.
OAKVILLE, ON, Nov. 23, 2020 – On November 25, 2020, a public test message will be issued through Alert Ready, Canada’s public alerting system, by most provincial and territorial emergency management organizations. Each participating province and territory will issue one test message to be distributed over television, radio and compatible wireless devices at the times indicated below.
Testing of Alert Ready across the country, and on a regular basis, is an important and necessary part of any public alerting system. It provides an opportunity to validate and improve the performance and reliability of the system and to ensure it operates as it is intended in the event of an imminent life-threatening situation.
Alert Ready is designed to deliver critical and potentially life-saving alerts to Canadians, including but not limited to tornadoes, flooding, fires and AMBER alerts. As of November 23rd, Alert Ready has enabled government authorities to deliver more than 170 emergency alerts since January 1, 2020.
Alert Ready was developed in collaboration with federal, provincial, and territorial government agencies, Pelmorex, the broadcasting industry and wireless service providers. “Pelmorex operates the technical infrastructure of the Alert Ready system,” says Martin Belanger, Director of Public Alerting at Pelmorex. “Pelmorex receives alerts from authorized alert issuers who consist of provincial, territorial and federal authorities and makes those alerts available to alert distributors which include television, radio, satellite, cable and wireless service providers.”
Given the importance of warning Canadians of an imminent threat to life, Canadians do not have the option to opt-out of this essential life-saving service.
| Province/Territory | Test Time |
| Alberta | No test scheduled |
| British Columbia | 1:55 PM PST |
| Manitoba | 1:55 PM CST |
| New Brunswick | 10:55 AM AST |
| Newfoundland & Labrador | 10:55 AM NST |
| Northwest Territories | 9:55 AM MST |
| Nova Scotia | 1:55 PM AST |
| Nunavut | No test scheduled |
| Ontario | 12:55 PM EST |
| Prince Edward Island | 12:55 PM AST |
| Quebec | 1:55 PM EST |
| Saskatchewan | 1:55 PM CST |
| Yukon | 1:55 PM MST |
January 12, 2020
A radiological hazard alert for Pickering Ontario was issued on January 12th at 7:23 AM ET by the Province of Ontario’s Emergency Operations Centre through the Alert Ready system.
There is no active nuclear situation taking place at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station. There is no danger to the public or environment and no further action is required.
As a result, another alert was issued at 9:11 AM ET by the Province of Ontario to indicate the initial alert was issued in error.
It is at the sole discretion of the authorized government issuer, in this case, the Province of Ontario, to determine when an alert is issued, the content of the alert and the geographical area that is to receive the alert.
We are working with the Province of Ontario to determine why this alert was distributed to the public.
May 8, 2019
The following provincial tests of the Alert ready system have been completed.
-Newfoundland and Labrador at 10:55 am NDT
-New Brunswick at 10:55 am ADT
-Prince Edward Island at 12:55 pm ADT
-Nova Scotia at 1:55 pm ADT
-Nunavut at 1:55 PM EDT
-Manitoba at 1:55 PM CDT
-Alberta and Northwest Territories at 1:55 MDT
-Saskatchewan at 1:55 pm CST
-British Columbia and Yukon at 1:55 PM PDT
It is important to note that not all Canadians will receive the test alert on their wireless device. This may occur for a variety of reasons, including device compatibility, connection to an LTE network, cell tower coverage, device software and settings.
Testing of any public alerting system provides an opportunity to validate and improve the end to end performance and reliability of the system to ensure it operates as it is intended to.
We would like to hear about your experience with the recent Alert Ready test that was completed on May 8th, 2019 by having you complete this short survey from a third party representative.
We thank you in advance for your input.
| Province/Territory | Test Time |
| Alberta | Test Complete |
| British Columbia | Test Complete |
| Manitoba | Test Complete |
| New Brunswick | Test Complete |
| Newfoundland & Labrador | Test Complete |
| Northwest Territories | Test Complete |
| Nova Scotia | Test Complete |
| Nunavut | Test Complete |
| Ontario | No test due to Flooding |
| Prince Edward Island | Test Complete |
| Quebec | No test due to Flooding |
| Saskatchewan | Test Complete |
| Yukon | Test Complete |
For further details of the upcoming tests of Alert Ready in your region, click here.
February 15, 2019
With regards to the Amber Alert issued on February 14, 2019 at 11:36 pm EST, by the Ontario Provincial Police on behalf of Peel Regional Police through the Alert Ready system for the province of Ontario, we can confirm the alert was distributed on TV, radio and LTE-connected and compatible wireless devices.
We have received reports that some wireless users in Manitoba received the Ontario Amber Alert.
At this time we are unable to determine why alerts outside of the province of Ontario were received by some wireless users. Alert Ready partners are working to determine the cause of this, and updates will be provided as new information is received.
November 28, 2018
The following provincial tests of the Alert ready system have been completed.
Please note, not all mobile devices will have received the test message. For general device compatibility, you can refer to the Alert Ready website here. We recommend that you contact your wireless service provider with specific inquiries regarding public alerting services and device compatibility. Your provider will be best able to answer specific compatibility questions.
If you experienced any issues on television or radio, please contact your broadcast service provider.
October 1, 2018
On October 3rd, 2018 beginning at 2:18 pm ET, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the United States will be testing their public alerting system.
Canadians visiting the US or living near the border may receive the test message on their mobile device. The message will read “Presidential Alert, THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed”.
No action is required by Canadians who receive the test message.
May 14, 2018
We value the feedback that we’ve received regarding recent public safety test alerts and actual provincial emergency alerts. Please be assured that each message is being read and shared with the appropriate Alert Ready partner. Due to high volumes of emails, replies to individual messages are not possible at this time.
To check compatibility of your wireless device to receive public safety messages please check here and select your wireless provider from the drop down menu. ALL device compatibility inquiries must be directed to your wireless provider.
For general information about Alert Ready, please visit our FAQ.
May 10, 2018
The test alerts scheduled for May 9th were successfully processed by the National Alert Aggregation and Dissemination System (NAAD System), part of the Alert Ready system. Managed by Pelmorex, the NAAD System delivers public alert messages issued by authorized government agencies to TV/radio/cable/satellite companies, and now, wireless service providers. It is then the responsibility of these Last Mile Distributors (LMDs) to deliver alert messages directly to Canadians.
Wireless service providers are working to identify any issues with compatible handsets. It is important to note that not all wireless devices are compatible and able to receive messages from Alert Ready. A device needs to be connected to an LTE network. Compatibility depends on many factors, including the handset and the software version on the device. You can check compatibility here, or with your carrier.
The intent of these tests is to validate all components of the Alert Ready system before an actual emergency. By running these tests, all Alert Ready partners get valuable information and feedback that will help improve the system. Canadians can feel confident the alerts will continue to be delivered via TV and radio.