OTTAWA, ON, May 6, 2024 /CNW/ - Emergencies can happen at any moment and with little warning. Timely information is critical to ensure that Canadians can take the necessary steps to protect themselves, their families and their communities.

On May 8, 2024, a test of the National Public Alerting System (NPAS) will be conducted in most provinces and territories over television, radio, and wireless devices.

Today, the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, President of the King's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness, announced that, during this exercise, Public Safety Canada will test its own public alerting capability in the following participating provinces and territory: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nunavut and Yukon. Canadians in Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island will receive a test message from their province or territory, as per usual practice. A test schedule can be found on the Alert Ready website.

Public Safety Canada has established the capability to issue alerts through the Government Operations Centre to communicate important information of nation-wide interest directly to the public using the NPAS.

Regular testing and evaluation of the NPAS is necessary to ensure that, when an emergency or disaster falling under federal responsibility occurs, the Government of Canada is prepared to deliver urgent and lifesaving warnings to the public.

"The safety of Canadians is our top priority. That is why the Government of Canada is building and testing its capacity to share timely information to Canadians. I would like to thank the Provinces and Territories that are supporting Public Safety Canada's participation in this important public test across the country."

- The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, President of the King's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada

• The NPAS provides emergency management organizations across the country with the capability to rapidly warn the public of imminent or unfolding hazards to life. Public alerts are issued through radio, cable and satellite television and compatible wireless devices.
• The NPAS is a collaborative initiative between federal, provincial, territorial (FPT) governments, and the responsibility for the issuance of emergency alert messages rests with FPT Emergency Management Organizations (EMO).
• Public Safety Canada is the federal lead for national public alerting. Through the FPT Senior Officials Responsible for Emergency Management, Public Safety Canada works to ensure that NPAS aligns with the needs of FPT stakeholders in terms of policy, operational and technical requirements.
• FPT governments determine who may issue alerts within their province or territory. Alerting authorities decide when to issue an emergency alert, the alert type, the message content, its duration and geographical areas affected. Each EMO has an agreement to access the system and determines how it will operationalize emergency public alerting in their respective jurisdictions.
• Public Safety Canada's Government Operations Centre (GOC) supports preparedness for and leads the coordination of the integrated federal response to all-hazard events of national interest. The GOC recently signed a user agreement with Pelmorex Corp. in order to issue alerts to communicate important information of national interest out to Canadians, on matters within federal jurisdiction.
• Pelmorex Corp., owner of the Weather Network, owns and operates the central technical infrastructure for the NPAS, which is used to validate and disseminate emergency alerts. This infrastructure is referred to as the National Alert Aggregation and Dissemination System.

• Test Schedule
• National Public Alerting System
• Government Operations Centre

SOURCE Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada