Kendra MangioneCTVNewsVancouver.ca producer
Published Wednesday, November 27, 2019 8:35AM PST
VANCOUVER -- Six months after the last test, B.C. cellphones, TV stations and radio stations will issue emergency alert messages on Wednesday.
Testing of the emergency system will be conducted across Canada throughout the day. In B.C., the test is scheduled for 1:55 p.m.
The message sent in May read, "EMERGENCY ALERT" in bold, capital letters.
"This is a TEST of the British Columbia Emergency Alerting System, issued by Emergency Management British Columbia. This is ONLY a TEST. If this had been an actual emergency or threat, you would now hear instructions that would assist you to protect you and your family."
The pop-up directed those who got the message to visit the EmergencyInfoBC website for more information.
A message posted on the site this week said the Alert Ready system, which allows officials to issue public safety warnings, only works on smartphones connected to an LTE or 4G network.
Phones must be compatible with wireless public alerting, have up-to-date software and be within the emergency alert area.
The Alert Ready website has a feature that helps cellphone users check their phone's compatibility. Those who have a compatible device but don't get the alert Wednesday are asked to contact their service provider.
It is not known how many phones are actually getting the alerts, The Canadian Press reported in the spring.
The federal government said it can't measure how many were received, but that "the confirmation in each jurisdiction indicates it was successfully distributed."
The system has been under scrutiny, especially in June when a tornado tore through parts of Ottawa and no warnings were sent.
But the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission says 125 real warnings have been issued through the system since January, and credits the alerts with saving lives.
Timing of alerts (in local time zone)
Newfoundland and Labrador: 10:55 a.m.
New Brunswick: 10:55 a.m.
Prince Edward Island: 12:55 p.m.:
Nova Scotia: 1:55 p.m.
Quebec: 1:55 p.m.
Ontario: 2:55 p.m.
Northwest Territories: 9:55 a.m.
Manitoba and Saskatchewan: 1:55 p.m.
Alberta: 1:55 p.m.
B.C. and Yukon: 1:55 p.m.
There is no test in Nunavut.