Expect an emergency alert on your wireless phone today (November 17th) as there will be a testing of the National Public Alerting System.
Credit: Alert Ready/Twitter
Alerts will be issued on wireless phones, radio and T.V. with tests conducted at various times across the country. During the test, you will hear an emergency alert sound, beginning with the alert tone, known as the Canadian Alert Attention Signal.
To get the emergency alert on your wireless phone, it should be connected to an LTE or 5G wireless network at the time the emergency alert is issued.
If your cellphone is set to silent, it will display an emergency alert but will not play the alert tone.
Alert Ready Test Times:
Canadians will receive one test message from their respective provincial or territorial emergency management organization over television, radio, and compatible wireless devices at the following times:
| PROVINCE/TERRITORY | LOCAL TESTING TIME |
| Alberta | 1:55 PM MST |
| Manitoba | 1:55 PM CST |
| New Brunswick | 10:55 AM AST |
| Northwest Territories | 9:55 AM MST |
| Nova Scotia | 1:55 PM AST |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 10:55 AM NST |
| Nunavut | 2:00 PM EST |
| 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 PDT |
British Columbia will not participate in the test due to the ongoing catastrophic floods in the province.
The message will indicate that it is a test and that does not require action from the public.
Alert Ready tests are conducted twice a year, during Emergency Preparedness Week in May and the third week of November.
If you did not get an alert on your phone during the test time, you need to contact your service provider as it is an important warning mechanism that is intended to alert you about imminent threats to the safety of life or property like tornadoes, wildfires, floods, Amber Alert or nuclear events.