Most Canadians saw their mobile phones, televisions and radios to sound off Wednesday as the Alert Ready system underwent a second round of testing.
Provincial emergency management organizations conducted simultaneous public alerting tests across the country in a bid to make sure people receive emergency alerts and can take action to stay safe.
Test alerts appeared on updated and compatible mobile devices connected to an LTE wireless network at 1:55 p.m. local time, except for Quebec where the test was done an hour later.
The tests are meant to prepare people for an imminent weather or geopolitical disaster: Wednesday's test included the words, "If this were a real test you would receive instructions to protect yourself."
This second test came after Manitoba Infrastructure's Emergency Measures Organizations said only 60 per cent of wireless users received an alert in a test of the system in May.
The first test didn't sound at all in Quebec due to a coding error, which the system operator said was fixed within a couple of hours.
In Ontario, some test alerts were heard and felt on mobile devices, but many wireless subscribers didn't receive any signals.
Siren to sound in Montreal Thursday
Wednesday's test was the first of two. Downtown Montreal will be flooded with a warning siren on Thursday.
The three-minute siren will be a test of Montreal’s civil security unit, which is the city's preferred way to order the public to seek shelter in the event of a toxic leak from a plant.
That siren will sound at 3 p.m. in an around the vicinity of the Mo9lson Coors plant, near the Jacques-Cartier Bridge.
