Alert Ready emergency alerting system to be tested at 2:55 p.m.

On November 27, 2019, Ontario, along with other provincial and territorial emergency management organizations, will issue another test of Alert Ready, Canada’s emergency alerting system.

Most provinces and territories will issue one test message to be distributed over television, radio and compatible wireless devices. In Ontario, the test will commence at 2:55 PM EST.

Alert Ready is designed to deliver critical and potentially life-saving alerts to Canadians. Test alerts educate and simulate to Ontarians what an emergency alert will look and sound like in the event of a life-threatening situation. Due to the essential nature of this service, there is no option to opt out of receiving emergency alerts. Emergency alerts are legislated by the Canadian Radio and Television Commission (CRTC). National tests provide an opportunity to validate the end-to-end performance and reliability of the system.

Testing of the Alert Ready system occurs a maximum of twice a year (during Emergency Preparedness Week in May, and in November). Ontario did not participate in the Alert Ready test this past May due to the activation in the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre (PEOC) and declared emergencies (flooding) in various Ontario communities.

Please note that not all Ontarians will receive the test alert on their wireless device due to a variety of reasons, including device compatibility, connection to an LTE network, cell tower coverage, device software and settings.

For more information, please visit alertready.ca.