National emergency alert system to be tested on Wednesday in much of Canada

CBC News

· Posted: May 07, 2025 8:32 AM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

Canada's National Public Alerting System (NPAS) is running tests on television, radio and compatible wireless devices across most of the country on Wednesday.

The tests will happen in eight provinces and both territories. Alberta and Quebec do not have tests scheduled for this month.

The system, called Alert Ready, delivers alerts about critical events such as tornadoes, flooding and fires, as well as Amber alerts.

The sound will simulate the tone of an emergency alert, but no action is required for members of the public.

It is possible for a phone not to register the alert — due to device compatibility, lack of a connection to an LTE or 5G network, cell tower coverage or device software and settings. A list of compatible wireless devices can be found here.

The NPAS is a collaborative initiative between federal, provincial and territorial governments, although the decision on participating is up to each province.

The tests in May occur during Emergency Preparedness Week, with Public Safety Canada providing an emergency preparedness guide on their website for Canadians.

Here are the local testing times for May 7:

• British Columbia: 1:55 p.m. PT.
• Manitoba: 1:55 p.m. CT.
• New Brunswick: 10:55 a.m. AT.
• Newfoundland and Labrador: 10:45 a.m. NT.
• Northwest Territories: 9:55 a.m. MT.
• Nova Scotia: 1:55 p.m. AT.
• Nunavut: 2:00 p.m. ET.
• Ontario: 12:55 p.m. ET.
• Prince Edward Island: 12:55 p.m. AT.
• Saskatchewan: 1:55 p.m. CT.
• Yukon: 1:55 p.m. YT.