National Public Alerting System (NPAS)

Date: July 20, 2020

Classification: Unclassified

Branch/Agency: EMPB 

Issue:

July 20, 2020 Globe and Mail Article on Canada’s National Public Alerting System initiative.

Proposed Response:

Background: 

The National Public Alerting System (NPAS), publicly known as “Alert Ready”, is a multi-channel Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) all-hazards initiative that provides emergency management organizations throughout Canada with a standard alerting capability to warn the public of imminent or unfolding hazards to life through such means as radio, cable television, satellite television, and on compatible wireless devices. The NPAS complements existing public alerting systems and tools in a number of FPT jurisdictions (e.g. mobile apps).

The technical infrastructure for the NPAS is owned and operated by Pelmorex Corp, owner of The Weather Network / MétéoMedia television channels.

Each jurisdiction is responsible for issuing alerts through the NPAS. All 13 provinces and territories are connected to the NPAS. Provinces and territories (P/T), through their emergency management organizations or delegates (e.g., municipalities, local authorities), determine if and when the public needs to be warned of an imminent threat-to-life, and send these critical warnings to the public in the affected geographic regions. The only federal department currently connected to NPAS is Environment and Climate Change Canada – in order to issue severe threat-to-life weather alerts, such as for tornados. Public Safety Canada is not an alert issuer.

The system is capable of carrying emergency alerts in English, French, or both languages, at the discretion and in respect of the legislation of the issuing government authority. FPT governments work with broadcasters, wireless service providers, and the CRTC to ensure that the visual and audible aspects of public alerts sent through the NPAS are readily recognizable by the Canadian public, and are presented in a consistent format.

The CRTC sets out accessibility standards, with the goal of ensuring that the information delivered through broadcasting and wireless systems, including emergency alerts, is available in as complete a form as possible for all Canadians, including those with auditory or visual impairments. Further, the CRTC requires wireless service providers to make available for purchase to their subscribers at least one accessible phone that is compatible with the NPAS.

Regular testing helps to ensure that, in times of an emergency or disaster, governments are prepared to deliver urgent and lifesaving warnings to the public. P/T governments conduct public awareness tests of the system twice annually, in May during Emergency Preparedness week, and November. The last test occurred on Wednesday, November 27, 2019. Canadians are encouraged to visit AlertReady.ca to find the test schedule for their P/T, as well as other useful information on wireless phone compatibility, and the types of emergency alerts sent through the system.

Phone compatibility is still a concern for some Canadians. As of April 2019, the CRTC required that 100% of new phones sold by Canada’s wireless carriers be compatible with the emergency alerting system.

Since the launch of wireless alerts in 2018, more than 150 emergency alerts have been successfully transmitted. In some cases, such as during the September 21, 2018 Ottawa/Gatineau tornadoes, these alerts have been credited with saving lives.

On January 12, 2020, a province wide radiological hazard alert related to the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station was issued as a false alert by Ontario. Within two hours, a second alert was issued to clarify that the first alert had been sent in error. The Solicitor General of Ontario apologized for the error and announced an investigation would be conducted into the incident and the Emergency Operations Centre’s internal processes. A report detailing investigative findings was released on February 27 and confirmed that the false alert was issued as a result of human error. Findings also pointed to procedural gaps, lack of training, lack of familiarity with the system and communication failures – all of which contributed to the delay between the false alert and the second clarifying alert.

Given the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, since March 20, 2020, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Newfoundland & Labrador, and Nova Scotia have used the NPAS for COVID-19 related alerts.  A number of other provinces and territories are also actively considering issuing similar alerts to deliver critical information to Canadians in these challenging times.

On April 18, 2020, Nova Scotia experienced Canada’s deadliest mass shooting claiming 23 lives. The RCMP, as lead agency, faced unprecedented pressure for failing to issue an emergency alert to notify people of a mass shooter. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the failure to issue an alert would be part of a larger investigation. Six days later, the RCMP issued an emergency alert over unconfirmed reports of active shooter situations in several Halifax suburbs. Within two hours, the RCMP gave an all-clear after investigating the reports and finding no evidence of shots fired.

On April 25, 2020, Nunavut issued a civil emergency alert for an active shooter in Cape Dorset, Nunavut. This marked the first time that Nunavut had used the NPAS outside of the scheduled annual testing. While the alert was successfully broadcast on TV and wireless, a report from the Toronto Star noted that the alert was not issued over community radio as the radio station was not broadcasting on the day of the alert.

Contacts:

Prepared by: Jeff Boyczuk, A/Director, Emergency Management Policy and Programs, 343-543-8913

Approved by: Patrick Tanguy, Assistant Deputy Minister, Emergency Management and Programs Branch, 613-851-1481

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