THUNDER BAY — A test of the country's emergency alert system will happen Wednesday.
At 12:55 p.m. EST, all compatible mobile devices will sound as the Alert Ready system does its bi-annual testing.
Cellphones, TV and radio stations will be interrupted momentarily while the test is conducted.
The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission says ongoing testing provides an opportunity to validate and improve the performance of the alert system to ensure it operates as intended in the event of a life-threatening situation.
Test messages are identified as test alerts and do not require recipients to take action.
As of Oct. 31, the emergency alert system in Ontario was used 267 times in 2023. Ninety-two per cent of them were for tornado warnings, and only two amber alerts utilized the emergency alerting system.
Individuals with a compatible mobile device that doesn't receive Wednesday's test are advised to contact their service provider.